But I know that a wife ought to have influence over her husband, and I believe that you have influence over yours.' 'Not the least,' said Gertrude, who was determined to contradict Mrs.Val in everything.
'I am sorry to hear it,' said Mrs.Val, who among all her excellent acquirements, did not possess that specially excellent one of understanding repartee.

'I am very sorry to hear it, and I shall certainly speak to him the more seriously on that account.
I think I have some influence over him; at any rate I ought to have.' 'I dare say you have,' said Gertrude; 'Alaric always says that no experience is worth anything that is not obtained by years.' Mrs.Val at least understood this, and continued her lecture with some additional severity.

'Well, my dear, I am glad he has so much wisdom.

But what I was going to say is this: you know how much we have at stake with Mr.Tudor--what a very large sum of Clementina's money lies in his hands.

Now I really should not have consented to the arrangement had I thought it possible that Mr.Tudor would have given up his income with the idea of going into Parliament.