At length, a sufficient time having elapsed to warrant, in her opinion, the introduction of intelligible topics, she looked up and spoke again.
"How soon, papa--how soon did you say--am I to go ?" "First of July, Aunt Margaret says.

Will that give you time enough to make yourself fine ?" "Now, papa, you're making fun of me," exclaimed the young lady, delighted that he should be in the humor to do so, yet speaking in that semi-reproachful tone which ladies sometimes adopt when the other sex makes their costume the object of remark, "I can make myself as fine as I can be by that time, of course! But how is it about Sophie?
Won't she be able to go too ?" Papa shook his head, and combed his bristly white beard with his fingers.

"Sophie has been very ill," said he; "it wouldn't be safe to have her go anywhere this summer.

We can't take too much care of her.
Typhoid pneumonia is a dangerous thing, and though she's on the way to recovery now, she might easily relapse.

And then," added the old gentleman, in a more inward tone, "she would recover no more." Although he mumbled this sentence to himself, Cornelia caught his meaning, more, probably, from his manner than from any thing she heard; and being of an emotional and warmly-tender disposition, she began to cry.