She was not, I told her, a
minister or even an elder. And for the time being I squelched her, Mrs.
Dr. dear. Cousin Sophia has no spirit. She is very different from her
niece, Mrs. Dean Crawford over-harbour. You know the Dean Crawfords had
five boys and now the new baby is another boy. All the connection and
especially Dean Crawford were much disappointed because their hearts had
been set on a girl; but Mrs. Dean just laughed and said, 'Everywhere I
went this summer I saw the sign "MEN WANTED" staring me in the face. Do
you think I could go and have a girl under such circumstances?' There is
spirit for you, Mrs. Dr. dear. But Cousin Sophia would say the child was
just so much more cannon fodder."
Cousin Sophia had full range for her pessimism that gloomy autumn, and
even Susan, incorrigible old optimist as she was, was hard put to it for
cheer. When Bulgaria lined up with Germany Susan only remarked
scornfully, "One more nation anxious for a licking," but the Greek
tangle worried her beyond her powers of philosophy to endure calmly.
"Constantine of Greece has a German wife, Mrs. Dr. dear, and that fact
squelches hope. To think that I should have lived to care what kind of a
wife Constantine of Greece had! The miserable creature is under his
wife's thumb and that is a bad place for any man to be. I am an old maid
and an old maid has to be independent or she will be squashed out.
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