"It wasn't half as difficult as it looks."
"You're a wonderful Kiddy, but you don't know what passion is, and you may thank your stars you don't."
"I might know quite a lot," said Laura, "if it wasn't for Papa. Papa's a perfect safeguard against passion. I know beforehand that as long as he's there, passion isn't any good. You see," she explained, "it's so simple. I wouldn't marry anybody who wouldn't live with Papa. And nobody would marry me if he had to."
"I see. Is it very bad?"
"Pretty bad. He dreams and dreams and dreams."
"Won't that ever be better?"
Laura shook her head.
"It may be worse. There are things—that I'm afraid of."
"What things, Kiddy, what things?"
"Oh! I don't know——"