“And hence a babe, I suppose?”
“Certainly, a babe. Oh, undoubtedly a babe.” Then, completely off the point, “Do you know, Harilek, you haven’t asked after my shoulder for two days?”
“I’m so sorry; how is it?”
As a matter of fact I had asked Forsyth twice daily on the point, and knew that it was practically healed up.
“It’s getting better, and the doctor thinks it won’t leave a mark.”
“That’s good. Now a babe would probably prefer to have a mark.”
“Yes, exactly; so that he could show it to people and talk about it.”
“And a woman, being grown up, would be much better pleased not to have a mark that might spoil the look of her shoulder. I begin to understand the important things of life, Aryenis, ‘the things that really matter.’”
“I think you’re trying to be rude. But my shoulder does matter.”
“That’s just what I said. I think any one’s shoulder would matter, and certainly yours.”