the last book I ever read (Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, excerpt five)

from The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath:

Mr. Willard eyed me kindly. Then he cleared his throat and brushed a few last crumbs from his lap. I could tell he was going to say something serious, because he was very shy, and I’d heard him clear his throat in that same way before giving an important economics lecture.

“Nelly and I have always wanted a daughter.”