“No. We’ll just have to wait.”

“I hope for your sake, my dear, it won’t be too long.”

“What do you mean, mother?”

“What did you mean?”

“Why, I meant we’d have to wait till I heard of something.”

“You might have meant something else.” She smiled.

“Oh, mother—don’t.”

“Why not?” she said cheerfully.

“You know—you know I couldn’t bear it.”

“You’ll have to bear it some day—I’m an old woman.”