Part 22 (1/2)
Strange, that sort of thing Soirl with a bunch, yet I soot beyond the e Devilish lucky forcorrectly upon Madaray silk cushi+ons, reflected complacently upon his ample salary, his carefully built-up and -good legacy when her ns to pass away”
At four Madary yet compelled to a certain respect, heard with satisfaction that Craig had come ”Leave me, Whitesides,” said she
”I wish to be quite alone with hireat, dis and its lofty, beautifully-frescoed ceiling, found hiold chair, ebony scepter in one hand, the other hand white and young-looking and in fine relief against the black silk of her skirt; she bent upon hiht as a bird's; they had the advantage over a bird's that they sa everything in addition to seeure whose surfaces were, indeed, not extraordinarily iood; that was apparent despite his clothes He had powerful shoulders, not narrow, yet neither were they of the broad kind that suggest power to the inexpert and weakness and a tendency to lung trouble to the expert His body was a trifle long for his ar, like a lion's or a tiger's He had a fine head, haughtily set; his eyes eance and force He had the leader's beaklike nose, a handsome form of it, like Alexander's, not like Attila's The mouth was the orator's--wide, full and flexible of lips, fluent It was distinctly not an aristocratic ested common speech and common tastes--ruddy tastes--tastes for quantity rather than for quality His skin, his flesh were also plainly not aristocratic; they lacked that fineness of grain, that finish of surface which are got only by eating the costly, rare, best and best-prepared food His hair, a partially disordered ave him fierceness of aspect The old lady had more than a suspicion that the ferocity of that lock of hair and soerated forward thrust of the jaere pose--in part, at least, an effort to look the valiant and relentlessa certain amount of irresolution Certainly those eyes met hers boldly rather than fearlessly
She extended her hand He took it, and with an effort gave it the politician's squeeze--the squeeze that htedly and say to each other: ”B'gosh, he ain't lost his axe-handle grip yet, by a durn sight, has he?--dog-gone hih she felt like it Instead she s color uncoh-bred tones, ”you wish towas never more afraid nor so i of physical passion here to betray hihter ”I do not,” replied he arrogantly ”Your granddaughter wants to marry me”
Madam Boinced in spite of herself A very sturdy-appearing specimen of randdaughter ht be physically attracted But that rude accent, that common mouth, those uncouth clothes, hand-me-downs or near it, that cheap look about the collar, about the wrists, about the ankles--
”We are absolutely unsuited to each other--in every way,” continued Craig ”I tell her so But she won't listen to me The only reason I've co her to her senses”
The old lady, recovered froly
He had completely turned her flank, and by a agement he could hail her as an ally, could cohter's public huearet and all the proud Severence fa alliance with him Admirable! No wonder Branch was jealous and the President alarame,” said she pleasantly, ”is extreratulate you I owe you an apology for having ave her a shrewd look ”I know little Latin and less Greek,” said he, ”but, 'ti you the straight truth, and I want you to help save irl I honestly don't want to make her wretched I need a sock-darner, a wash-counter, a pram-pusher, for a wife, as Grant would say, not a dainty piece of lace embroidery It would soon be covered with spots and full of holes frohed heartily ”You are--delicious,” said she ”You state the exact situation Only I don't think Rita is quite so fragile as you fancy Like all persons of coerate huree”
Craig quivered and reddened at ”coin,” as Madam Bowker expected and hoped She had not felt that she was taking a risk in thus hardily ignoring her own origin; Lard had becoton, an unreality like a shadowy reminiscence of a possible former sojourn on earth ”I see,” pursued she, ”that I hurt your vanity by my frankness--”
”Not at all! Not at all!” blustered Joshua, still angrier--as Madam Bowker had calculated
”Don't misunderstanda fact without aspersion It is the more to your credit that you have been able to raise yourself up a! You are notsurlily He began to feel like a cur that is getting a beating fros ”I've had a hard life--”
”So I should judge,” thrust the old lady with gentle sympathy It is not necessary to jab violently with a red-hot iron in order to make a deep burn
”But I a and orator lips in action ”And you and your kind--your granddaughter Margaret--would be the better for having faced--for having to face--the realities of life instead of being pampered in luxury and uselessness”
”Then why be resentful?” inquired she ”Why notjealousy?”
”Because I love your granddaughter,” replied Craig, the adroit at debate ”It pains, it angers ood mother, trained and set to such base uses”
The old lady admired his skillful parry ”Let us not discuss that,” said she ”We look at life fro can see beyond his own point of view Only God sees life as a whole, sees how its see inconsistencies and injustices blend into a harmony
Your mistake--pardon an old woman's criticism of experience upon inexperience--your ate to yourself divine wisdom and set up a personal opinion as eternal truth”
”That is very well said, ad Madam Boould have been better pleased with the coracious and less condescending
”To return to the randdaughter does credit to your es between people of different station and rank to turn out well--again--”