“That’s too bad,” said Mrs. March, and, as she did not offer any solution of the matter, I thought it rather heartless of her to go on and rub it in. “And we were just planning some things we could do together.”
“It can’t be helped now,” returned the girl.
“But we shall see you again before you go?” Mrs. March asked of both.
“Well, I don’t know,” said the girl, with a look at Mrs. Deering, who now said—
“I guess so. We’ll let you know when we’re going.” And they got away rather stiffly.
“Why in the world, my dear,” I asked, “if you weren’t going to promote their stay, need you prolong the agony of their acquaintance?”
“Did you feel that about it too? Well, I wanted to ask you first if you thought it would do.”
“What do?”
“You know; get her a room here. Because if we do we shall have her literally on our hands as long as we are here. We shall have to have the whole care and responsibility of her, and I wanted you to feel just what you were going in for. You know very well I can’t do things by halves, and that if I undertake to chaperon this girl I shall chaperon her—”
“To the bitter end. Yes; I understand the conditions of your uncompromising conscience. But I don’t believe it will be any such killing matter. There are other semi-detached girls in the house; she could go round with them.”