"I guess we can get along here for a while."

This was at night. In the morning Mrs. Lapham said--

"I suppose we ought to do the best we can for the children,
in every way."

"I supposed we always had," replied her husband.

"Yes, we have, according to our light."

"Have you got some new light?"

"I don't know as it's light. But if the girls are going
to keep on living in Boston and marry here, I presume
we ought to try to get them into society, some way;
or ought to do something."

"Well, who's ever done more for their children than we have?"
demanded Lapham, with a pang at the thought that he could
possibly have been out-done. "Don't they have everything
they want? Don't they dress just as you say? Don't you
go everywhere with 'em? Is there ever anything going
on that's worth while that they don't see it or hear
it? I don't know what you mean. Why don't you get them
into society? There's money enough!"

"There's got to be something besides money, I guess,"
said Mrs. Lapham, with a hopeless sigh. "I presume we