The answer was so long in coming, though there was no indecision in it, that Tom went and leaned on the back of her chair, to contemplate the fire which so engrossed her, from her point of view, and see what he could make of it.

“Except that it is a fire,” said Tom, “it looks to me as stupid and blank as everything else looks. What do you see in it? Not a circus?”

“I don’t see anything in it, Tom, particularly. But since I have been looking at it, I have been wondering about you and me, grown up.”

“Wondering again!” said Tom.

“I have such unmanageable thoughts,” returned his sister, “that they will wonder.”