She found some difficulty in obtaining them at first, but a letter or two written to her father obtained for her permission to read what she chose.

The third Reuben Vanderpoel was deeply fond of his younger daughter, and felt in secret a profound admiration for her, which was saved from becoming too obvious by the ever present American sense of humour.
"Betty seems to be going in for politics," he said after reading the letter containing her request and her first list of books.

"She's about as mad as she can be at the ignorance of the French girls about America and Americans.

She wants to fill up on solid facts, so that she can come out strong in argument.

She's got an understanding of the power of solid facts that would be a fortune to her if she were a man." It was no doubt her understanding of the power of facts which led her to learn everything well and to develop in many directions.