“Yes. He scolds, but I can’t say Frederick—or Fred. He begs me to do it—but I tell him to wait till we’re married and then I’ll say ‘dear.’ Most wives do that, don’t they?”
“I hope mine won’t.”
“Why not?”
“I shall want my wife to invent names for me, and if she can’t, I’ll do it for her.”
Jane opened her eyes wide. “Romance with a big R, Baldy?”
“Yes, of course. I should want to be king, lover, master—friend to the woman who cared for me. That’s the real thing, Janey.”
“Is it?” But she did not follow the subject up; she drew another cup of coffee for herself, and asked finally, “When is Evans coming back?”
“Not for several days. He will go to Boston when he finishes with New York.”
“I see. And he’s much better?”
“I should say. You wouldn’t know him.”