"That's a good thing; for stupidity is a misfortune rather than a fault."
"Now I was worse than stupid--much worse," continued Elisabeth gravely; "but I never was actually stupid."
"Weren't you? Don't be too sure of that. I don't wish to hurt your feelings, sweetheart, or to make envious rents in your panoply of wisdom; but, do you know, you struck me now and again as being a shade--we will not say stupid, but dense?"
"When I thought you didn't like me because you went to Australia, you mean?"
"That was one of the occasions when your acumen seemed to be slightly at fault. And there were others."
Elisabeth looked thoughtful. "I really did think you didn't like me then."
"Denseness, my dear Elisabeth--distinct denseness. It would be gross flattery to call it by any other name."
"If I had, and you had then thought I did not, you would have been suffering from deafness, not denseness. You are confusing terms."
"Well, then, I'll give in and say I was dense. But I was worse than that: I was positively horrid as well."
"Not horrid, Betty; you couldn't be horrid if you tried. Perhaps you were a little hard on me; but it's all over and done with now, and you needn't bother yourself any more about it."
"But I ought to bother about it if I intend to make a trustworthy step-ladder out of my dead selves to upper storeys."
"A trustworthy fire-escape, you mean; but I won't have it. You sha'n't have any dead selves, my dear, because I shall insist on keeping them all alive by artificial respiration, or restoration from drowning, or something of that kind. Not one of them shall die with my permission; remember that. I'm much too fond of them."
"You silly boy! You'll never train me and discipline me properly if you go on in this way."
"Hang it all, Betty! Who wants to train and discipline you? Certainly not I. I am wise enough to let well--or rather perfection--alone."
Elisabeth nestled up to Christopher. "But I'm not perfection, Chris; you know that as well as I do."
"Probably I shouldn't love you so much if you were; so please don't reform, dear."
"Precisely. I should break my heart if you became in any way different from what you are now."
"But you mustn't break your heart; it belongs to me, and I won't have you smashing up my property."