"She knows so many people," Madeline said, reflectively.
"And you have made hosts of acquaintances, have you not?"
"Yes, acquaintances, but they don't mean anything. I never realised before, I think, how many people there are in the world, and how many things there are in the world I can do without."
"That oughtn't to be a very startling discovery," he said, with a smile.
"But you don't feel it in a place like St. Gaved," she said. "There everybody seems necessary to everybody else."
"Indeed?" he questioned, dryly.
"Well, I mean that in a little community where each one plays his part, and each one's part is known to all the rest——"
"Yes?" he questioned, seeing she hesitated.
"Oh! I can't explain myself very well, but you must know very well what I mean."