"Daisy," said papa, tenderly, and looking at me now, - "you are strong?"
"Am I, papa?"
"I think you are. You can bear the truth, cannot you?"
"I hope I can, -any truth that you have to tell me," I said. One thought of terrible evil chilled my heart for a moment, and passed away. Papa's tone and manner did not touch anything like that. Though it was serious enough to awake my apprehension. I could not guess what to apprehend.
"Did you get any clear understanding of what your mother might mean, one day at breakfast, when she was alluding to friends of yours in America? - you remember?"
"I remember. I did not understand in the least, papa."
"It had to do with Miss St. Clair."
"Yes."
"It seems she spent all the last winter in Washington, where the society was unusually good, it is said, as well as unusually military. I do not know how that can be true, when all Southerners were of course out of the city - but that's no matter. A girl like this St. Clair girl of course knew all the epaulettes there were."
"Yes, papa - she is always very much admired. She must be that everywhere."