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"Young with your whole life ahead of you" she replied "You can't want all this worry, especially if you plan on being in England"

"I suppose that's true," I said

'Of course, it's true Everyone has his or her destiny to fulfill Mine, for better or for worse, was to walk in my father's footsteps for a while and then fill those footsteps when he was gone I've done well for the faive me credit She was old school and had this old fashioned idea that wo wo their husbands like puppets, reround behind the curtain of as considered proper and as not

"I recall how she thought it was so unfeminine of me to be interested in stocks and bonds Mother died not really knowing the difference between a junk bond and a municipal"

"I don't know the difference,," I confessed

"JustI'e the direction of your life, but there's a considerable estate to protect and maintain You can appreciate that I'm sure"

"Yes" I said

"Good Well, I'm happy we had this little chat," she said "There is so over in the next day or so, some matters we have to resolve with the investments Don't worry I'll explain it all to you clearly I have a feeling,'" she said standing and reaching for her coat "that it will be easier talking to you about soan

"By the way," she added as she put on her coat, "I'm not surprised she hadn't told Brody and Alison the whole truth about you To's put off until tomorrow Tomorrow, she'll worry about it," she

said, laughed and started out

I followed her to the door She turned back to me after she opened it

"I'lad I decided to have this conversation with you Who wants to be wrapped up in all this unpleasantness with all we have yet to do with our lives? And don't worry about Grant I'll speak with him and make sure he understands it all," she added

As she walked out, I wondered if that wasn't the real reason she was being so nice and so reasonable: showing Grant she could handle things, handlehim how she was the one in the end who helped hie

Did she really hope to steal her sister's husband?

Knohat I knew of the to bet a nickel on what any of theht do to each other, much less to me