Donovan departed, and Rose was touched by guessing her reason--
the thought that since even this circuitous personage had been moved
to come, the two might, if left together, invent some remedy. Rose
waited to see what Mrs. Donovan had in fact invented.
"You won't come out with me then?"
"Come out with you?"
"My daughters are married. You know I'm a lone woman. It would be
an immense pleasure to me to have so charming a creature as yourself
to present to the world."
"I go out with my mother," said Rose, after a moment.
"Yes, but sometimes when she's not inclined?"
"She goes everywhere she wants to go," Rose continued, uttering the
biggest fib of her life and only regretting it should be wasted on
Mrs. Donovan.
"Ah, but do you go everywhere YOU want?" the lady asked sociably.
"One goes even to places one hates. Every one does that."
"Oh, what I go through!" this social martyr cried. Then she laid a
persuasive hand on the girl's arm. "Let me show you at a few places
first, and then we'll see. I'll bring them all here."
"I don't think I understand you," replied Rose, though in Mrs.
Donovan's words she perfectly saw her own theory of the case
reflected.
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