'I know all about being poor,' she said, 'but I
don't suppose we mean the same thing by the word. I've been so poor--'
She stopped. 'But there's a lot of excitement about it. I used to hope
I should find a shilling in my purse that I'd forgotten. A shilling!
You can do a lot with a shilling. At least I can.'
'I wish you'd tell me how.'
'Pretend you haven't got it. That's the beginning. You haven't got it,
so you can't have what you want.'
'I never have what I want.'
'Then you mustn't want anything.'
'Oh, yes, that's so easy.'
'Well'--she descended to details with an air of kindness--'what do you
want? Let's work it out. We'd better sit on the wall. After all, it's
rather lovely without the trees. It's so clear and the air's so blue,
as if it's trying to make up. Now tell me what you want.'
'Something money can't buy.'
'Then you needn't have cut down the trees.'
'I shouldn't have if I'd thought you'd care.'
She said softly but sharply, 'I don't believe that for a moment. Why
don't you tell the truth?'
'Do you want to hear it?'
'I'm not sure.'
'Then I'll wait while you make up your mind.'
Sitting on the wall, his feet rested easily on the ground while hers
swung free, and while he seemed to loll in complete indifference, she
was conscious of a tenseness she could not prevent. She hated her
enjoyment of his manner, which was impudent, but it had the spice of
danger that she liked and it was in defiance of the one and
encouragement of the other that she said, 'I'm sure you would never
talk to Aunt Rose like that.
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