Neither of you will quite understand for

He could no longer hear even a rumor of the streetcar, and his mother’s breathing had become quiet again. With one hand she held Catherine still more closely against her, and Catherine sniffled a little more comfortably; with the other hand she put Rufus quietly away, so that she could look clearly into his eyes; tenderly she took off his cap and laid it beside her, and pushed the hair back from his forehead. “Neither of you will quite understand for a while,” she said. “It’s—very hard to understand. But you will,” she said (I do, he said to himself; he’s dead. That’s what) and she repeated rather dreamily, as if to herself, though she continued to look into his eyes, “You will”; then she was silent, and some kind of energy intensified in her eyes and she said: “When you want to know more—about it” (and her eyes became still more vibrant) “just, just ask me and I’ll tell you because you ought to know.” How did he get hurt, Rufus wanted to ask, but he knew by her eyes that she did not mean at all what she said, not now anyway, not this minute, he must not ask; and now he did not want to ask because he too was afraid; he nodded to let her know he understood her. “Just ask,” she said again, and he nodded again; a strange, cold excitement was rising in him; and in a cold intuition that it would be kind, and gratefully received, he kissed her. “God bless you,” she groaned, and held them passionately against herself; “both of you!” She loosened her arms. “And now you be a good boy,” she said in almost her ordinary voice, wiping Catherine’s nose. “Get little Catherine dressed, can you do that?” He nodded proudly; “and wash and dress yourself, and by then Aunt Hannah will have breakfast ready.” “Aren’t you getting up, Mama?” he asked, much impressed that he had been deputized to dress his sister. “Not for a while,” she said, and by her way of saying it, he knew that she wanted them to go out of the room right away. “Come on, Catherine,” he said, and found, with surprise, that he had taken her hand. Catherine looked up at him, equally surprised, and shook her head.