People tried afterward to repeat her anecdotes but for the life of them they could make them sound like nothing whatever.

They gave her a sort of innocent attention and the best smiles many of them had smiled for long; there were few tears in Clara, but people smiled misty-eyed at her.
Very occasionally Amory stayed for little half-hours after the rest of the court had gone, and they would have bread and jam and tea late in the afternoon or "maple-sugar lunches," as she called them, at night.
"You _are_ remarkable, aren't you!" Amory was becoming trite from where he perched in the centre of the dining-room table one six o'clock.
"Not a bit," she answered.

She was searching out napkins in the sideboard.

"I'm really most humdrum and commonplace.

One of those people who have no interest in anything but their children." "Tell that to somebody else," scoffed Amory.