"I dare say we all can, if we put our minds to it--sometimes without.
Well! that's the whole story, Uncle William."

"It's only the preface. See here, Lynda, did it ever strike you that a
woman like you doesn't come to such a conclusion as you have without an
experience--a contrast to go by?"

"I--I do not know what you mean, Uncle William."

"I think you do. I have no right to probe, but I have a right to--to
help you if I can. You've done much for your mother; can you deny me
the--the honour of doing something for her?"

"There's nothing--to do."

"Let us see! You're just a plain girl when all's said and done. You've
got a little more backbone and wit than some, but your heart's in the
same place as other women's and you're no different in the main. You
want the sane, right things just as they do--home, children, and
security from the things women dread. A man can give a woman a chance
for her best development; she ought to recognize that and--yes--appreciate
it."

"Surely!" this came very softly from the lips screened now by two cold
shivering hands. "A woman does recognize it; she appreciates it, but
that does not exclude her from--choice."

"One man--of course within limits and reason--is as good as another when
he loves a woman and makes her love him. You certainly thought you
loved Morrell. You had nothing to gain unless you did. You probably