“Why certainly, Mary,” her mother interrupted, in her somewhat ringing voice. “I absolutely agree with you. I think it’s so nice that Hannah can stay!” she added, almost as if Mary and Hannah were little girls.
“I hope you know, Mama, how very much!-I hope you don’t mind. I just appreciate it so much, I…”
Her mother patted her hand rapidly. “It’s perfectly all right, Mary. It’s very sensible.” She smiled.
Mary put an arm around her and hugged her; she turned her aging face and smiled very brightly and Mary could see the tears in her eyes. She was speechless and her head was shaking in her effort to convey her love and the entirety of her feeling. “Anything I can do, dear child,” she said after a few moments. “Anything!”
“Bless you, Mama!”
“Beg pardon?”
“I said bless you, dear!”
Catherine patted her hand on the back and smiled even more tightly.
I love you so much! Mary exclaimed within herself.
“Praps the children,” Catherine said. “I could take care, if-it would be more, convenient…”
“Oh, I don’t think we should wake them up!” Mary said.
“She doesn’t mean…” Andrew began.
“Tomorrow,” her mother said. “Just, perhaps, during the-interim…”
“That’s wonderful, Mama, that may turn out to be just the thing and if it is I most certainly will. Most gratefully. It’s just, I’m in such a spin it’s just too soon to quite know yet, make any plans. Anything. Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow then.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you all the same.”
