She was too polite to leave him.

Presently she excused herself and rose.

After a while she looked into the tin saucepan.
"Oh DEAR, Miriam," she cried, "these potatoes have boiled dry!" Miriam started as if she had been stung.
"HAVE they, mother ?" she cried.
"I shouldn't care, Miriam," said the mother, "if I hadn't trusted them to you." She peered into the pan.
The girl stiffened as if from a blow.

Her dark eyes dilated; she remained standing in the same spot.
"Well," she answered, gripped tight in self-conscious shame, "I'm sure I looked at them five minutes since." "Yes," said the mother, "I know it's easily done." "They're not much burned," said Paul.

"It doesn't matter, does it ?" Mrs.Leivers looked at the youth with her brown, hurt eyes.
"It wouldn't matter but for the boys," she said to him.