You could be all that if you liked, I am sure, you are ever so much cleverer than these puppets--" She stopped short in the middle of the sentence as she caught sight of the menacing frown upon his face, drew her chair with a rapid movement close to his, and said, in her most humble and insinuating tones, "Dearest, are you vexed with me ?" "Yes, for it is a humiliating, and beside which, a totally unnecessary invention, and lays me open to the worst construction." "And who has taken upon themselves to retail it to you?
That Cuerbo, I suppose ?" "It was not the Countess Cuerbo--not that it matters if the actual fact is true." "Forgive me, Wilhelm," she pleaded, "I thought to act for the best.

The whole story was chiefly for my mother's benefit.

I wanted her to love you and be grateful to you.

I wanted her to take you to her heart like a son.

I do not care a bit about the other people.