h
occupied with her drawing.

"Go on, and tell me _what_ we have not."

"I doubt the wisdom."

"I beg the favour."

"It would not please you. In the first place, you would not believe me.
In the second place, you would reckon an advantage what I reckon a
disadvantage."

"What _do_ you mean?" said Lawrence, very curious and at the same time
uneasy. Dolly tried to get off, but he held her to the point. At last
Dolly spoke out.

"Mr. St. Leger, women have a better time in my country."

"A better time? Impossible. There are no homes in the world where wives
and daughters are better cared for or better loved. None in the world!"

"Ah," said Dolly, "they are too well cared for."

"How do you mean?"

"Too little free."

"Free?" said Lawrence. "Is _that_ what you want?"

"And not quite respected enough."

"Dolly, you bewilder me. What ever did you see or hear to make you
think our women are not respected?"

"I dare say it is a woman's view," said Dolly lightly. But Lawrence
eagerly begged her to explain or give an instance of what she meant.

"I have not seen much, you know," said Dolly, painting away. "But I
heard a gentleman once, at his own dinner-table, and when there was
company present--I was not the only visitor--I heard him tell his wife
that the _soup was nasty_."

And Dolly glanced up to see how Lawrence took it. She judiciously did
not tell him that the house was his own father's, and the gentleman in
question Mr. St. Leger himself. Lawrence was silent at first. I presume
the thing was not so utterly unfamiliar as that he should be much
shocked; while he did perceive that here was some difference of the
point of view between Dolly's standpoint and his own, and was not ready
to answer. Dolly glanced up at him significantly: still Lawrence did
not find words.

"That didn't mean anything!" at last he said. Dolly glanced at him
again.

"I suppose the soup _wasn't_ good. Why not say so?"

"No reason why he should not say so, at a proper time and place."

"It didn't mean any harm, Dolly."

"I suppose not."

"Then what's the matter?"

"It is not the way _we_ do," said Dolly. "In America, I mean. Not when
we are polite."

"Do you think husband and wife ought to be polite to each other--in
that way?"

"In what way?"

"That they should not call things by their right names?"

Here Dolly lifted her sweet head and laughed; a merry, ringing,
musical, very much amused laugh.

"Ah, you see yo