"I will not cry," she said, not so firmly as she thought she did.
"My blessed child!" he cried, in great distress and perturbation, "What have I done?
I--I----" "Call me 'small' all you like!" she answered.

"I don't care.

It isn't that.

You mustn't think me such an imbecile." She dropped her hands from her face and shook the tears from her eyes with a mournful laugh.

He saw that her hands were clenched tightly and her lip trembled.