"You knew," she said, "that Mr.Burnamy had left us ?" "Left! Why ?" asked the general.
She was a woman of resource, but in a case like this she found it best to trust her husband's poverty of invention.

She looked at him, and he answered for her with a promptness that made her quake at first, but finally seemed the only thing, if not the best thing: "He's had some trouble with Stoller." He went on to tell the general just what the trouble was.
At the end the general grunted as from an uncertain mind.

"You think he's behaved badly." "I think he's behaved foolishly--youthfully.

But I can understand how strongly he was tempted.

He could say that he was not authorized to stop Stoller in his mad career." At this Mrs.March put her hand through her husband's arm.
"I'm not so sure about that," said the general.
March added: "Since I saw him this morning, I've heard something that disposes me to look at his performance in a friendlier light.