Part 9 (1/2)
”A superb praht
”Precisely Be off now; I must work Be off, and exhibit that wonderful suit and those spotless white spats where they'll be appreciated” And he disht rid himself of a favorite who threatened to presuood hureatly h he would not have confessed it to his inmost self, Josh's preposterous assuetic reiteration, had made upon him an impression of possible validity--not probable, but possible; and the possible was quite enough to stir deep down in Arkwright's soul the all but universal deference before power It never occurred to hi assertions and assu that, underneath the ridicule those obstreperous vanities would create, there would gradually forrow a conviction of solid truth, a conviction that Joshua Craig was indeed the personage he professed to be--, Napoleonic
This latent feeling of Arkwright's was, however, not strong enough to suppress his irritation when, a few days later, he went to the Severences for tea, and found Margaret and Josh alone in the garden, walking up and down, engaged in a conversation that was obviously intireeted hi friendshi+p
”Ah, there you are now!” he cried ”Well, little ones, I'll leave you together I've wasted as much time as I can spare to-day to frivolity”
”Yes, hurry back to work,” said Arkwright ”The shi+p of state's wobbling badly through your neglect”
Craig laughed, looking at Margaret ”Grant thinks that's a jest,” said he ”Instead, it's the sober truth I a the President fro from the policies he has the shrewdness to advocate but lacks the nerve to put into action”
Margaret stood looking after him as he strode away
”You uely uneasy at the expression of her hazel eyes, at once so dark, ht and frank and amused
”I don't,” said she in a tone that seereat deal
He, still more uneasy, went on: ”A little ht--get a sense of proportion”
”But isn't it true?” asked Margaret somewhat absently
”What?”
”Why, what he said as he was leaving Before you came he'd been here quite a while, and hed, but Margaret only s how hard a ti; ith Stillwater's corruption and the President's ti about cri thieves--I didn't understand it, or care 's power”
”There IS soht admitted, with a reluctance of which his pride, and his heart as well, were ashamed
”He's become a burr, a thorn, in the Adh, of course, they have to laugh at hiaret absently
Arkwright watched her nervously ”You see round to the state ofour friend Craig”
Margaret, her eyes carefully away froh
”Of course, I'ht ”I know YOU couldn't marry HIM”
”Why not?”
”Because you don't think he's sincere”
Her silence ht this as weak as he did