Judy, with an income of her own! What will you do with it besides coming to see me?"
She hesitated, and then said flushing but meeting his eyes courageously:
"I'm thinking of marrying Chip with it, Noel."
He wasn't altogether astonished, nor did he pretend to be; but although he had discussed that possibility with her more or less seriously before, he felt he ought now point out its very obvious drawbacks. It would mean an arduous life, with few pleasures.
"I'm almost afraid to encourage you to do it, old girl," he said. "Only I like him so much. He may be a dreamer, and he may be unpractical, and that book of his may not be worth the paper it's written on, for all I know. But I do know that he's one of the very best fellows I ever met. One of the very best. And he's hard hit."
"It's awful—this deciding," said Judy. "That's where Claire and Stephen have the advantage of us. They can just live from day to day and take what the gods bring. And if they don't bring anything—well, they've lived. But this not knowing what to do with your life—this trying to make the most of it and not knowing how—it's hell, sometimes."
