He looked up with a smile when she came in, for their relations were generally pleasant.

They understood each other, though this did not lead to mutual confidence or respect.
"Well ?" he said.
Sylvia sat down in an easy chair, adopting, as she invariably did, a becoming pose, and handed him George's letter.
"He hasn't sent you very much," Herbert remarked.
"No," said Sylvia, "that's the difficulty." "So I anticipated.

You're not economical." Sylvia laughed.
"I won't remind you of your failings.

You have one virtue--you can be liberal when it suits you; and you're my trustee." Lansing's rather fleshy, smooth-shaven face grew thoughtful, but Sylvia continued: "I'm going to Susan's, and I really need a lot of new clothes." "For a week or two's visit ?" "I may, perhaps, go on somewhere else afterward." "I wonder whether you thought it necessary to tell Muriel so ?" Sylvia sighed.
"I'm afraid I didn't.

I can hardly expect Muriel to quite understand or sympathize.