Of course Anna gave the money for this thing though she could not
believe that it was best. No, it was very bad. Mrs. Lehntman could
never make it pay and it would cost so much to keep. But what could
our poor Anna do? Remember Mrs. Lehntman was the only romance Anna
ever knew.

Anna's strength in her control of what was done in Mrs. Lehntman's
house, was not now what it had been before that Lily's little Johnny
came. That thing had been for Anna a defeat. There had been no
fighting to a finish but Mrs. Lehntman had very surely won.

Mrs. Lehntman needed Anna just as much as Anna needed Mrs. Lehntman,
but Mrs. Lehntman was more ready to risk Anna's loss, and so the good
Anna grew always weaker in her power to control.

In friendship, power always has its downward curve. One's strength to
manage rises always higher until there comes a time one does not win,
and though one may not really lose, still from the time that victory
is not sure, one's power slowly ceases to be strong. It is only in a
close tie such as marriage, that influence can mount and grow always
stronger with the years and never meet with a decline. It can only
happen so when there is no way to escape.

Friendship goes by favour. There is always danger of a break or of a
stronger power coming in between. Influence can only be a steady march
when one can surely never break away.

Anna wanted Mrs. Lehntman very much and Mrs. Lehntman needed Anna, but
there were always other ways to do and if Anna had once given up she
might do so again, so why should Mrs. Lehntman have real fear?