"I suppose you could," Hertha said slowly, "if you made up your mind to; just to have an easy, comfortable time. Now Kathleen was always in the conflict. She was trying to change the world, to change everybody—at least everybody who was poor. And here I can't decide what to do with my own life."
"It's a heap easier," Tom remarked meditatively, "to run other folks' lives than it is your own."
They had walked down the aisle to the corridor and now stood by the closed door.
"I haven't made my mind up yet about marriage," Tom said. "It's a great risk, it sure is. I was reading the other day about trial marriages. Seemed like that might not be a bad idea—each agree to try each other out for a time and then if things suited, match up for good."
"Where did you read that?" Hertha asked, curiosity surmounting disapproval in her voice.
"In the paper," was the all-sufficient answer. "It were only a suggestion."
"Was, Tom."
"Yes'm."
"I'm afraid it's a suggestion that most people would think wicked," she gave a resigned sigh, "like divorce. Well, I'm glad we had this talk."
"So am I," Tom made hearty response. "And that wasn't a bad idea, Hertha, to keep out of the conflict."