The woman did not realize it, but it was really a cruel thing which she was doing.

She laughed heartily.
"Why, my dear boy," she said.

"You are too young and I am too old.
You had better wait and marry Maria, when you are both grown up." Wollaston turned his back upon her, and marched out of the room.
Maria lingered, in the vain hope that she might bring the teacher to a reconsideration of the matter.
"He's a good deal younger than father, and he's better looking," said she.
Miss Slome blushed then.
"Oh, you sweet little thing, then you know--" she began.
Maria interrupted her.

She became still more traitorous to her father.
"Father has a real bad temper, when things go wrong," said she.
"Mother always said so." Miss Slome only laughed harder.
"You funny little darling," she said.
"And Wollaston has a real good disposition, his mother told my aunt Maria so," she persisted.
The room fairly rang with Miss Slome's laughter, although she tried to subdue it.

Maria persisted.
"And father isn't a mite handy about the house," said she.