"How so, Will?"
"I mean, if one wished to argue selfish--which of course I don't wish--well, the selfish view would be not to have drawn her out but rather keep her down a bit."
"Oh, she'd be miserable if she didn't feel to be one of ourselves--and you always said let's treat her that way."
"I know; and I don't go back on it. I was only stating the case of selfish policy, for the sake of argument. It's like this. The more useful you teach her to be, the more we're going to miss her when she leaves us."
"She'll never leave us."
"Won't she be thinking of taking service in some gentleman's family when you've perfected her, and rendered her really capable of filling a situation?"
"Oh, no, she'd never want to go away from Vine-Pits."
"Is that so? Well, of course I regard that as another feather in her cap. I'm glad to think she's properly devoted to you."
"It isn't me," said Mavis. "It's you she's devoted to. It's been the same all along. I told you from the first that child just worshiped you. It's Mr. Dale. Mr. Dale is the cry with Norah always. She looks on me as very small potatoes," and Mavis laughed. "I don't mind. It's how I look on myself."
Dale patted his wife's hand, and smiled. "Rubbish! But look here, Mav;" and he spoke very thoughtfully.
"I don't wish ever to trade on Norah's gratitude. It may be, when the time comes, we shall have to decide for her. It may be that she'll do better for herself in the long run by going than by staying. If so, we mustn't be the barrier in her way. We must push her out into the world, even if she can't see the point of it. But all that lies far ahead. We needn't worry about it yet a while.... How old is Norah now?"
"Seventeen."
"No? Do you mean to say she has been with us five years?"
"Yes. Every bit of five years."
"Then how old is Rachel?"
"Eleven."
"And Billy?"
"Five--and more."
"My goodness, Mav," and Dale sighed, "how time goes." Then he rose from his chair, stretched himself, and sighed again. "How time is going!"