human
Well, dearest?
gpt
Mother, I want Honor Carmody.
human
Carter!
gpt
I want Honor Carmody. He rode over her murmured protests.
human
I know I'm only nineteen. I know I'm too young--she's too young. I'd expect to wait, of course. But--_I want her_.
gpt
Dearest, Mother'll get her for you! Mother'll get her for you to-morrow! But instead her gaze went down to the page she had been reading ... the last scene in
human
Ghosts,
gpt
She shivered and shut the book with emphasis and threw it on a near-by chair. She spoke brightly, reassuringly.
human
I'm sure she's devoted to you, dear. You are the best of friends, and that's enough for the present, isn't it?
gpt
No.
human
Dearest, you've said yourself that you realize you're too young for anything serious, yet. Why can't you wait contentedly, until----
gpt
There's some one else. There's Jimsy.
human
Carter, I'm sure they're like brother and sister. They have been playmates all their lives. That sort of thing rarely merges into romance.
gpt
Doesn't it? His voice was seeking, hungry.
human
Honestly?
gpt
She sped to comfort him.
human
Besides, her people, her mother, would never want anything of that sort ... the taint in his blood ... the reputation of his family.... Mrs. Lorimer says they've always been called the 'Wild Kings.' Of course Jimsy seems quite all right, so far, and I hope and pray he always may be--he's a dear boy and I'm very fond of him--but, as he grows older and is beset by more temptations----
gpt
Yes, he said,
human
I've thought of that. I've thought of that. Perhaps, when he gets to college--up at Stanford, away from Honor--I've thought of that!
gpt
Besides, dear, Honor's going abroad next year, for her voice. She'll meet new people, form new ties----
human
That doesn't cheer me up very much, Mother.
gpt
I mean, she hastened,
human
she hesitated, delicately,
gpt
And less,