“Oh, they do, do they! Shall I dress in gunny-sacking to suit them?”
“Please! Are you going to be a baby?”
“I'll be good,” sulkily.
“You certainly will, or I won't tell you one single thing. You must understand this: I'm not asking you to change yourself. Just want you to know what they think. You must do that, no matter how absurd their prejudices are, if you're going to handle them. Is it your ambition to make this a better town, or isn't it?”
“I don't know whether it is or not!”
“Why—why——Tut, tut, now, of course it is! Why, I depend on you. You're a born reformer.”
“I am not—not any more!”
“Of course you are.”
“Oh, if I really could help——So they think I'm affected?”
“My lamb, they do! Now don't say they're nervy. After all, Gopher Prairie standards are as reasonable to Gopher Prairie as Lake Shore Drive standards are to Chicago. And there's more Gopher Prairies than there are Chicagos. Or Londons. And——I'll tell you the whole story: They think you're showing off when you say 'American' instead of 'Ammurrican.' They think you're too frivolous. Life's so serious to them that they can't imagine any kind of laughter except Juanita's snortling. Ethel Villets was sure you were patronizing her when——”