This elicited nothing. "She's the _kindest_ person. She keeps a little chest o' drawers chock-full o' doughnuts and winter-green candy." "Very strange use for a chest of drawers. Is the lady right in her head?" Val, very indignant: "Goodness gracious! mercy me! I should think so!" "I've told you not to use those exclamations." "No, you didn't say--" "Do I understand you to be contradicting me?" "You said I wasn't to say 'Oh, Lord!' nor 'Gee-rusa-lem!' nor 'Dear me suz!' nor 'Holy Moses!' I don't see what there's left to say." "I said let your speech be 'Yea, yea,' and 'Nay, nay.' You are not to bring sacred names into common talk. The Jews of old had a proper instinct for these things. They never uttered the name of Jehovah even in prayer. No Jew would step upon a piece of parchment, for fear it might be inscribed with the name of God. It is impious to call upon the mercy of the Most High on trivial occasions." "I don't call on Him--never." "Yes, you do, when you use those expressions. God is 'gracious'; He alone is 'goodness.'" Silence; then Val, recovering and returning to the attack: "Jerry's grandmother--" "Jerningham Otway's grandmother knows as well as I do that this is a turbulent and stiff-necked generation, without fear of God or reverence for authority. _Her_ remedy seems to be effacement for herself and bribes for her young barbarians. But"--she had risen, and was towering--"I'd have you know, my lady, _I'm_ not a doughnut grandmother." Val thought it time to depart. She moved briskly to the door, sending over her shoulder a Parthian shot: "Julia calls her gran'ma "Granny," and so do lots o' people. It seems it's the reg'lar name." Thereupon she took to her heels, for even outlaws know limits. At a safe distance she would speculate darkly: "I wonder if she knows I hate her. Oh yes; it would be a waste of breath to mention it. She knows, and she doesn't care--she's that hardened."