She had had no word with her as to Wayne's new position, and it came to her in a flash that it would be daring, but wise, to take the matter up in the presence of her stepfather.

So, as soon as they were in the drawing-room, and Farron had opened the evening paper, and his wife, with a wild decision, had opened a book, Mathilde ruthlessly interrupted them both, recalling them from what appeared to be the depths of absorptions in their respective pages by saying: "Mr.Farron, did you tell Mama what you had done about Pete ?" Farron raised his eyes and said: "Yes." "And what did she say ?" "What is there for me to say ?" answered Adelaide in the terrible, crisp voice that Mathilde hated.
There was a pause.

To Mathilde it seemed extraordinary the way older people sometimes stalled and shifted about perfectly obvious issues; but, wishing to be patient, she explained: "Don't you see it makes some difference in our situation ?" "The greatest, I should think," said Adelaide, and just hinted that she might go back to her book at any instant.
"But don't you think--" Mathilde began again, when Farron interrupted her almost sharply.
"Mathilde," he said, "there's a well-known business axiom, not to try to get things on paper too early." She bent her head a trifle on one side in the way a puppy will when an unusual strain is being put upon its faculties.

It seemed to her curious, but she saw she was being advised to drop the subject.

Suddenly Adelaide sprang to her feet and said she was going to bed.
"I hope your headache will be better, Mama," Mathilde hazarded; but Adelaide went without answering.