"
"Which of those two things is the worst, Daisy?"
"What two things, papa?"
"To love nobody, or to have nobody to love her?"
"Papa — I do not know." Then, remembering Juanita, Daisy
suddenly added, — "Papa, I should think it must be the worst
to love nobody."
"Do you? Pray why?"
"It would not make her happy, I think, to have people love her
if she did not love them."
"And you think loving others would be better, without anybody
to give love back?"
"I should think it would be very hard!" — said Daisy, with a
most profound expression of thoughtfulness.
"Well — this poor cripple, I understand, lacks both these
conditions of happiness?"
"Yes, papa."
"What then? You were going to tell me something about her."
"Not much about _her_," said Daisy, "but only about myself."
"A much more interesting subject to me, Daisy."
You could only see the faintest expression of pleasure in the
line of Daisy's lips; she was looking very sober and a trifle
anxious.
"I only thought, papa, I would try if I could not do something
to make that poor woman happier."
"What did you try?"
"The first thing was to get her to know me and like me, you
know, papa; because she is rather cross, and does not like
people generally, I believe.
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