"You mean when I repeated what she said?
That's hardly the same thing, George." He was not enough interested to argue the point.

"I don't think you'll convince anybody that mother's unfeeling," he said indifferently.
"I'm not trying to convince anybody.

I mean merely that in my opinion--well, perhaps it may be just as wise for me to keep my opinions to myself." She paused expectantly, but her possible anticipation that George would urge her to discard wisdom and reveal her opinion was not fulfilled.

His back was toward her, and he occupied himself with opinions of his own about other matters.

Fanny may have felt some disappointment as she rose to withdraw.
However, at the last moment she halted with her hand upon the latch of the screen door.
"There's one thing I hope," she said.