Wouldn't seeing what the press is saying of it distract you from the real
aim you had in your story?"
"We're all weak, of course. It might, if the story were not finished;
but as it is, I think I could be proof against the stupidest praise."
"Well, for my part, I'm glad you didn't subscribe to the clippings
bureau. It would have been a disturbing element." She now looked down
at the letters as if she were going to take them up, and he followed the
direction of her eyes. As if reminded of the fact by this, he said:
"Armiger asked me if I had ever heard anything more from that girl."
"Has he?" his mother eagerly asked, transferring her glance from the
letters to her son's face.
"Not a word. I think I silenced her thoroughly."
"Yes," his mother said. "There could have been no good object in
prolonging the affair and letting her confirm herself in the notion that
she was of sufficient importance either to you or to him for you to
continue the correspondence with her. She couldn't learn too distinctly
that she had done--a very wrong thing in trying to play such a trick on
you."
"That was the way I looked at it," Verrian said, but he drew a light
sigh, rather wearily.
"I hope," his mother said, with a recurrent glance at the letters, "that
there is nothing of that silly kind among these.
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