How would you interpret this sentence?
How would you interpret this sentence “that’s splendid”?
Did the speaker mean it was splendid that the other’s friend was a good man?
Or did the speaker mean it was splendid that the other’s friend was a doctor?
Thanks. It’s from A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.
the context:
We looked at Rinaldi talking with the other nurse.
"What is her name?"
"Ferguson. Helen Ferguson. Your friend is a doctor, isn't he?"
"Yes. He's very good."
"That's splendid. You rarely find any one any good this close to the front. This is close to the front, isn't it?"
"Quite."
"It's a silly front," she said. "But it's very beautiful. Are they going to have an offensive?"
"Yes."