"He--ought to marry you."

"Why, mother! You're more insulting than that newspaper. The
career of a show-girl is something of a joke." Lorelei undertook
to laugh, but the attempt failed rather dismally.

"Indeed. What will the other men say? You had a character; nobody
could say a word against you until now. Do you think any decent
man would marry a girl who did a thing like this? Of course, I
know you're a good girl, but they don't, and they'll believe
absolutely the worst. You've spoiled everything, my dear; I'm
completely discouraged." Mrs. Knight began to weep in a weak,
heart-broken manner, expecting Lorelei to melt, as usual; but,
seeing something in her daughter's expression that warned her not
to carry her reproaches too far, she broke out: "You're SO hard,
SO unreasonable. Don't you see I'm frantic with worry? You're all
we have, and--and the thought of an injury to your prospects
nearly kills me. You misunderstand everything I say. I--WISH you
were safely married and out of danger. I think I could die happy
then. It means so much to all of us to have you settled right
away. Peter is failing every day; Jim is going to the dogs, and--
I'm sick over it all."

"I wish I WERE married and out of the way. You would all be fixed,
at least. I--don't much care about myself." Lorelei sighed in
hopeless weariness of spirit, for variations of this scene had
been common of late, and they always filled her with the blackest
pessimism.