She wanted to be rich, she wanted luxury, she wanted men at her feet, her slaves, and she had not--thanks to some of the novels she had read--the nicest discrimination between notoriety and reputation; perhaps she did not know how fatal notoriety usually is to the bloom of womanhood.
With the other Hawkins children Laura had been brought up in the belief that they had inherited a fortune in the Tennessee Lands.

She did not by any means share all the delusion of the family; but her brain was not seldom busy with schemes about it.

Washington seemed to her only to dream of it and to be willing to wait for its riches to fall upon him in a golden shower; but she was impatient, and wished she were a man to take hold of the business.
"You men must enjoy your schemes and your activity and liberty to go about the world," she said to Harry one day, when he had been talking of New York and Washington and his incessant engagements.
"Oh, yes," replied that martyr to business, "it's all well enough, if you don't have too much of it, but it only has one object." "What is that ?" "If a woman doesn't know, it's useless to tell her.

What do you suppose I am staying in Hawkeye for, week after week, when I ought to be with my corps ?" "I suppose it's your business with Col.

Sellers about Napoleon, you've always told me so," answered Laura, with a look intended to contradict her words.
"And now I tell you that is all arranged, I suppose you'll tell me I ought to go ?" "Harry!" exclaimed Laura, touching his arm and letting her pretty hand rest there a moment.