“How kind of you! So you admit you went running to her the minute the baby was born, and yet you knew perfectly well how I felt about her.” “Well—I knew how unreasonably you felt about her.” “‘Unreasonably?’” Lena cried shrilly. “What a wise little word! When you told her she was the only woman in the world who understands you!” “No, no! _I_ don’t care who understands me,” Dan protested unhappily. “I meant she was the only one that would understand what I was sayin’ about the baby. I just _had_ to talk about him, and she always understands anything at a time like that—or any time, for that matter. She——” “Go on!” Lena said. “Go on making it worse!” “But I’m only tryin’ to explain how——” “Explain _this_, then! You told her you wanted my child to grow up to be like _her_.” “Why, yes,” Dan said reasonably. “I didn’t mean to _look_ like her; I only meant I hoped he’d have her qualities. Anybody that knows Martha would feel that way, Lena. Why, except my own father and mother, she’s the most even-tempered, understanding, helpful kind of person I ever knew in my life. Why, everybody in town looks up to her just the same as I do, and _any_body’d have said _that_ to her, Lena. You would yourself, if you had only not let yourself get prejudiced against her about nothin’ at all and just been sensible enough to really get acquainted with her.” Lena stood before him rigidly, except for the trembling, which had increased a little. “Tell me another thing,” she said. “When a young wife becomes a mother, does her husband ever consult her before inviting a woman she doesn’t like to act as godmother for the child?” Dan got up and began to pace the room, his face reddening with a prophetic distress. “Oh, golly!” he groaned. “You’re goin’ to object to it. I see that now!” “You do see it, do you? How remarkable!” He turned to her appealingly. “Look here, Lena; I _did_ speak about it to her too soon. Of course I ought to’ve consulted you first;—I was just so enthusiastic about bein’ the boy’s father, and she’s such a dear, good, old friend—well, I guess I was excited. I know I ought to’ve waited and asked you who you wanted—but I didn’t. I _did_ just blurt out and ask her, so it’s done and can’t be helped. Well, I can’t go back on it; I _can’t_ go over there and just plain tell her you don’t want her!” “Can’t you?” Lena said. “It doesn’t matter to me what you tell her.” “You’re not goin’ to make me, are you?” he asked piteously. “No. Tell her anything you like.”