CHAPTERXI
Albertreadthenameonthecard。Hewastooastonishedtospeak。
Herfather！Hewashere！He——
Hisgrandfatherspokeagain，andhistonewasbriskandbusinesslike。
Goon，Al，heordered。Outthroughthissidedoorandaroundtothefront。Lively，son，lively！
Buttheyoungman’switswerereturning。Hescowledatthecard。
No，hesaidstoutly，I’mnotgoingtorunaway。I’mnotafraidofhim。Ihaven’tdoneanythingtobeashamedof。
Thecaptainnodded。Ifyouhad，IshouldASKyoutorunaway，hesaid。Asitis，Ijustaskyoutostepoutandwaitalittlewhile，that’sall。
But，Grandfather，IWANTtoseehim。
Allright，Iwantyouto——butnotuntilheandIhavetalkedfirst。Come，boy，come！I’velivedalittlelongerthanyouhave，andmaybeIknowabouthalfasmuchaboutsomethings。Thisisoneof’em。Youclearoutandstandby。I’llcallyouwhenIwantyou。
Albertwent，butreluctantly。Afterhehadgonehisgrandfatherwalkedtothedooroftheouterofficeandopenedit。
Stepaboard，Mr。Fosdick，hesaid。Comein，sir。
Mr。FletcherFosdickwasalargeman，portly，andwithaheadwhichwasrapidlylosingitsthatch。Hissmoot-shavenfacewasruddyandhisblueeyemild。HeenteredtheprivateofficeofZ。SnowandCo。andshookthehandwhichCaptainZelotesproffered。
Howdoyoudo，CaptainSnow？heaskedpleasantly。YouandI
havehadsomebusinessdealings，butwehavenevermetbefore，I
believe。
Thecaptainwavedtowardachair。That’safact，Mr。Fosdick，hesaid。Idon’tbelieveweeverhave，butit’sbetterlatethanbyandby，asthefellersaid。Sitdown，sitdown，Mr。Fosdick。
Throwoffyourcoat，won’tyou？It’ssortofwarminherecomparedtooutdoor。
Thevisitoradmittedthedifferenceintemperaturebetweentheinteriorandexteriorofthebuilding，andremovedhisovercoat。
Alsohesatdown。CaptainZelotesopenedadrawerofhisdeskandproducedaboxofcigars。
Haveasmoke，won’tyou？heinquired。
Mr。Fosdickglancedatthelabelonthebox。
Why——why，Iwasratherhopingyouwouldsmokeoneofmine，hesaid。Ihaveapocketfull。
WhenIcomecallin’onyouatyourplaceinNewYorkIwillsmokeyours。Nowitkindoflookstomeasifyou’doughttosmokemine。
Seemsreasonablewhenyouthinkitover，don’tit？
Fosdicksmiled。Perhapsyou’reright，hesaid。Hetookoneofthegaudilybandedperfectosfromhishost’sboxandacceptedalightfromthematchthecaptainheld。Bothmenblewacloudofsmokeandthroughthosecloudseachlookedattheother。Thepreliminarieswereover，butneitherseemedparticularlyanxioustobegintherealconversation。Itwasthevisitorwho，atlast，beganit。
CaptainSnow，hesaid，IpresumeyourclerktoldyouIwishedtoseeyouonamatterofbusiness。
Who？Oh，Labe，youmean？Yes，hetoldme。
Itoldhimtotellyouthat。Itmaysurpriseyou，however，tolearnthatthebusinessIwishedtoseeyouabout——thatIcameonfromNewYorktoseeyouabout——hasnothingwhatevertodowiththehouseI’mbuildingdownhere。
CaptainZelotesremovedhiscigarfromhislipsandlookedmeditativelyatitsburningend。No-o，hesaidslowly，thatdon’tsurprisemeverymuch。Ical’lated’twasn’taboutthehouseyouwishedtoseeme。
Oh，Isee！……Humph！TheFosdickmildblueeyelost，forthemoment，justatrifleofitsmildnessandbecamealmostkeen，asitsownerflashedaglanceatthebigfigureseatedatthedesk。
Isee，saidMr。Fosdick。Andhaveyou——er——guessedwhatIdidcometoseeyouabout？
No-o。Iwouldn’tcallitguessin’，exactly。
Wouldn’tyou？Whatwouldyoucallit？
We-ll，Idon’tknowbutI’driskcallin’itknowin’。Yes，IthinklikelyIwould。
Oh，Isee……Humph！Haveyouhadaletter——onthesubject？
Ye-es。
Isee。FromMrs。Fosdick，ofcourse。Shesaidshewasgoingtowrite——I’mnotsureshedidn’tsayshehadwritten。butIhadtheimpressionitwasto——well，toanothermemberofyourfamily，CaptainSnow。
No，’twastome。Comethismornin’smail。
Isee。Mymistake。Well，I’mobligedtoherinaway。Ifthenewshasbeenbrokentoyou，Ishan’thavetobreakitandwecangetdowntobrasstacksjustsomuchsooner。Thesurprisebeingover——Itakeit，itWASasurprise，Captain？
Youtakeitright。Justasmuchofasurprisetomeasyou。
Ofcourse。Well，thesurprisebeingoverforbothofus，wecantalkoftheaffair——calmlyandcoolly。Whatdoyouthinkaboutit，Captain？
Oh，Idon’tknowasIknowexactlywhattothink。WhatdoYOU
thinkaboutit，Mr。Fosdick？
Ithink——IimagineIthinkverymuchasyoudo。
Ishouldn’thesurprised。And——er——what’syournotionofwhatI
think？
CaptainZelotes’grayeyetwinkledasheaskedthequestion，andtheFosdickblueeyetwinkledinreturn。Bothmenlaughed。
Wearen’tgettingveryfarthisway，Captain，observedthevisitor。There’snousedodging，Isuppose。I，forone，amnotverywellpleased。Mrs。Fosdick，foranother，isn’tpleasedatall。sheisabsolutelyandentirelyopposedtothewholeaffair。
Shewon’thearofit，that’sall，andshesaidsomuchthatI
thoughtperhapsIhadbettercomedownhereatonce，seeyou，and——
andtheyoungfellowwiththequeername——
Mygrandson。
Whyyes。Heisyourgrandson，isn’the？Ibegyourpardon。
That’sallright。Ishan’tfightwithyoubecauseyoudon’tlikehisname。Goahead。Youdecidedtocomeandseehim——andme——？
Yes，Idid。Idecidedtocomebecauseithasbeenmyexperiencethatafrank，straighttalkisbetter，incaseslikethis，thanahundredletters。Andthatthetimetotalkwasnow，beforemattersbetweentheyoungfoo——theyoungpeoplewentanyfurther。Don’tyouagreewithme？
CaptainZelotesnodded。
Thatnowisagoodtimetotalk？Yes，Ido，hesaid。
Good！Thensupposewetalk。
Allright。
Therewasanotherintervalofsilence。ThenFosdickbrokeitwithachuckle。AndI’mtheonetodothetalking，eh？hesaid。
CaptainLote’seyetwinkled。We-ll，youcameallthewayfromNewYorkonpurpose，youknow，heobserved。Thenheadded：Butthere，Mr。Fosdick，Idon’twantyoutothinkIain’tpoliteorwon’ttalk，myself。I’lldomysharewhenthetimecomes。Butitdoesseemtomethatyououghttodoyoursfirstasit’syourfamilysofarthat’sdonetheobjectin’……Yourcigar’sgoneout。Haveanotherlight，won’tyou？
Thevisitorshookhishead。No，thankyou，notnow，hesaidhastily，placingthedefunctcigarcarefullyonthecaptain’sdesk。
Iwon’tsmokefortheminute。Soyouwantmetobeginthetalking，doyou？ItseemstomeIhavebegunit。ItoldyouthatIdonotliketheideaofmydaughter’sbeingengagedto——tosaynothingofmarrying——yourgrandson。MywifelikesitevenlessthanIdo。Thatisenoughofastatementtobeginwith，isn’tit？
Why，no，notexactly，ifyou’llexcusemysayin’so。Yourdaughterherself——howdoesshefeelaboutit？
Oh，sheisenthusiastic，naturally。Sheappearstobesufferingfromtemporaryinsanityonthesubject。
Shedon’tseemtothinkit’squiteas——er——preposterous，andridiculousandoutrageous——andLordknowswhatall——asyourwifedoes，eh？
No。Isay，Snow，Ihopeyou’renottoodeeplyoffendedbywhatmywifewroteyou。Ijudgeyouarequotingfromherletterandapparentlyshepileditonred-hot。You’llhavetoexcuseher。shewasalmostwildalldayyesterday。I’llaskyourpardononherbehalf。
Sho，sho！Noneed，Mr。Fosdick，noneedatall。Iknowwhatwomenare，eventheeasy-goin’kind，whenthey’vegotsteamup。
I’vegotawife——andIhadadaughter。But，gettin’backonthecourseagain，youthinkyourdaughter’scrazybecauseshewantstomarrymygrandson。Isthatit？
Why，no，Iwouldn’tsaythat，exactly。Ofcourse，Iwouldn’tsaythat。
But，yousee，youdidsayit。However，we’llleavethattoonesideforaspell。Whatobjection——whatrealobjectionistheretothosetwomarryin’——mygrandsonandyourdaughter——providedthattheycareforeachotherasthey’doughtto？
Mr。Fosdick’sexpressionchangedslightly。Histone，asherepliedtothequestion，wascolderandhismannerlesscordial。
Idon’tknowthatitisworthwhileansweringthatindetail，hesaid，afteraninstant’spause。Frankly，CaptainSnow，Ihadratherhopedyouwouldsee，foryourself，thereasonswhysuchamarriagewouldn’tbedesirable。Ifyoudon’tseethem，ifyouarebackingupyourgrandsoninhisbusiness，why——well，thereisnouseinourdiscussingthematteranyfurther，isthere？Weshouldonlyloseourtempersandnotgainmuch。Sowehadbetterenditnow，Ithink。
Herosetohisfeet。CaptainZelotes，leaningforward，heldupaprotestinghand。
Now——now，Mr。Fosdick，hesaidearnestly，Idon’twantyoutomisunderstandme。AndI’msorryifwhatIsaidhasmadeyoumad。
Fosdicksmiled。Oh，I’mnotmad，heansweredcheerfully。I
makeitaruleinallmybusinessdealingsnottogetmad，or，moreespecially，nottolettheotherfellowknowthatI’mgettingthatway。Mytemperhasn’taruffleinitjustnow，andIamleavingmerelybecauseIwantittoremainsmooth。IjudgethatyouandI
aren’tgoingtoagree。Allright，thenwe’lldiffer，butwe’lldifferwithoutafight，that’sall。Goodafternoon，Captain。
ButCaptainLote’shandstillremaineduplifted。
Mr。Fosdick，hesaid。justaminutenow——justaminute。YouneverhavemetAlbert，mygrandson，haveyou？Neverevenseenhim，maybe？
No，butIintendtomeethimandtalkwithhimbeforeIleaveSouthHarniss。HewasoneofthetwopeopleIcameheretomeet。
AndIwastheother，eh？Um-hm……Isee。Youthinkyou’vefoundoutwhereIstandandnowyou’llsizehimup。Honest，Mr。
Fosdick，I……Humph！MindifItellyoualittlestory？
’Twon’ttakelong。WhenIwasalittleshaver，meandmygranddad，thefirstCap’nLoteSnow——there’sbeentwosince——weregreatchums。WhenhewashomefromseaheandIstucktogetherlikehotpitchandoakum。Onedayweweresittin’outinthefrontyardofhishouse——it’smine，now——watchin’ahoptoadcatchflies。You’veseenatoadcatchflies，haven’tyou，Mr。Fosdick？Mr。Toadsitsthere，lookin’halfasleepandaspiousanddemureasapickpocketatcamp-meetin’，untilaflycomesalongandgetstoonear。Then，Zip！outshootsaboutsixinchesoftoadtongueandthatfly’sbeenaskedintodinner。Well，granddadandIsatlookin’atourparticulartoadwhenalongcameabumble-beeandlightedonahoneysuckleblossomrightinfrontofthecritter。Thetoaddidn’ttaketimetothinkitover，allhesawwasasquaremeal，andhistongueflashedoutandnailedthatbumble-beeandsnappeditintothepantry。Inaboutahalfsecond，though，therewasachange。
Thepantryhadbeenemptied，thebumble-beewasonhiswayagain，andMr。Toadwasonhis，hoppin’livelyandhuntin’for——well，foricewaterorsomethin’coolin’，Iguesslikely。Granddadtappedmeontheshoulder。’Sonny，’sayshe，’there’salessonforyou。
Thathoptoaddidn’twaittomakesurethatbumble-beewasgoodtoeat。hetookitforgranted，andwassorryafterward。Itdon’tpaytojumpatconclusions，son，’hesays。’Someconclusionsarelikethatbumble-bee’s，theyhavestingsin’em。’
CaptainLote，havingfinishedhisstory，feltinhispocketforamatch。Fosdick，foraninstant，appearedpuzzled。Thenhelaughed。
Isee，hesaid。YouthinkImadetooquickajumpwhenI
concludedyouwerebackingyourgrandsoninthisaffair。Allright，I’mgladtohearit。Whatdoyouwantmetodo，sitdownagainandlisten？
Heresumedhisseatasheaskedthequestion。CaptainZelotesnodded。
Ifyoudon’tmind，heanswered。Yousee，youmisunderstoodme，Mr。Fosdick。Ididn’tmeananymorethanwhatIsaidwhenIaskedyouwhatrealobjectiontherewas，inyouropiniontoAlbert’smarryin’your——er——Madeline，that’shername，Ibelieve。Seemstomethewayforustogettoanunderstandin’——youandI——istofindoutjusthowthesituationlookstoeachofus。Whenwe’vefoundoutthat，we’llknowhownighwecometoagreein’ordisagreein’
andcanactaccordin’。Soundsreasonable，don’tit？
Fosdicknoddedinhisturn。Perfectly，headmitted。Well，askyourquestions，andI’llanswerthem。AfterthatperhapsI’llasksomemyself。Goahead。
Ihavegoneahead。I’veaskedonealready。
Yes，butitissuchageneralquestion。Theremaybesomanyobjections。
Isee。Allright，thenI’llasksome：Whatdothelawyerscall’em？——Atlantic？Pacific？I’vegotit——I’llasksomespecificquestions。Here’sone。DoyouobjecttoAlpersonally？Tohischaracter？
Notatall。Weknownothingabouthischaracter。Verylikelyhemaybeayoungsaint。
Well，heain’t，sowe’llletthatslide。He’sagoodboy，though，sofarasI’veeverbeenabletofindout。Isithislooks？
You’veneverseenhim，butyourwifehas。Don’tshelikehislooks？
Shehasn’tmentionedhislookstome。
Isithismoney？Hehasn’tgotanyofhisown。
We-ell，ofcoursethatdoescountalittlebit。Madelineisouronlychild，andnaturallyweshouldprefertohaveherpickoutahusbandwithadollarorsoinreserve。
Um-hm。Al’stwenty-one，Mr。Fosdick。WhenIwastwenty-oneIhadsomeputby，butnotmuch。Ipresumelikely’twasdifferentwithyou，maybe。Probablyyouwereprettywellfixed。
Fosdicklaughedaloud。Youmakeagoodcross-examiner，Snow，heobserved。Asamatteroffact，whenIwastwenty-oneIwasassistantbookkeeperinaNewHavenbroker’soffice。Ididn’thaveacentexceptmysalary，andIhadthatonlyforthefirstfivedaysintheweek。
However，yougotmarried？
Yes，Idid。MorefoolI！IfIhadknownanything，Ishouldhavewaitedfiveyearsatleast。Ididn’thaveanyonetotellmeso。
Myfatherandmotherwerebothdead。
Thinkyou’dhavelistenedto’emiftheyhadbeenaliveandhadtoldyou？However，however，that’salltooneside。Well，Albert’shavin’nomoneytospeakofisanobjection——andagoodhonestonefromyourpointofview。Hisprospectshereinthisbusinessofminearefair，andheisdoin’betteratitthanhewas，sohemaymakeacomf’tablelivin’——acomf’tableSouthHarnisslivin’，thatis——byandby。
Oh，heiswithyou，then？Oh，yes，Iremembermywifesaidheworkedinyouroffice。Butshesaidmoreabouthisbeingsomesortofa——apoet，wasn’tit？
Forthefirsttimesincetheinterviewbeganthecaptainlookedillateaseandembarrassed。
Thunderation！heexclaimedtestily，youmustn’tpayattentiontothat。Hedoesmakeuppoetry’pieces——er——ontheside，asyoumightsay，butIkeephopin’allthetimehe’llgrowoutofit，givehimtime。It’ain’thisregularjob，youmustn’tthink’tis。
Thevisitorlaughedagain。I’mgladofthat，hesaid，bothforyoursakeandmine。IjudgethatyouandI，Snow，areincompleteagreementasfarasouropinionofpoetryandthatsortofstuffisconcerned。OfcourseI’mnotcondemningallpoetry，youunderstand。
LongfellowandTennysonandtheregularpoetsareallright。YouunderstandwhatI’mgettingat？
Sartin。Iusedtoknow’DownwenttheR’yalGeorgewithallhercrewcomplete，’andalotmore。Usedtosay’emovertomyselfwhenIfirstwenttoseaandstoodwatchalonenights。Buttheyweredifferent，youknow。they——they——
Sure！Mywife——why，Igiveyoumywordthatmyownwifeandhersetgoperfectlydaffyoverchapswhowritestuffthatrhymesandthatthepapersareprintingcolumnsabout。Snow，ifthisgrandsonofyourswasagenuinepress-touted，women’sclubpoetinsteadofawould-be——well，Idon’tknowwhatmighthappen。InthatcaseshemightbeasstrongFORthisengagementassheisnowagainstit。
Hepaused，seemingabitashamedofhisownheat。CaptainZelotes，however，regardedhimwithmoreapprovalthanhehadyetshown。
It’sbeenmyobservationthatwomenarelikelytogetoffthecoursechasin’falsesignalslikethat，heobserved。Whenamanbeginslettin’hishairandhismouthrunwildtogetherseemsasifthecombinationhadanattractionforagoodmanywomenfolks。Alkeepshishaircut，though，I’llsaythatforhim，headded。Itcurlssome，butitain’tlong。Iwouldn’thavehimintheofficeif’twas。
Well，Mr。Fosdick，hecontinued，whatotherobjectionsarethey？
Manners？Familyandrelations？Education？Anyobjectionsalongthatline？
No-o，no。I——well，Idon’tknow。yousee，Idon’tknowmuchabouttheyoungfellow。
PerhapsIcanhelpyouout。Astomanners——well，youcanjudgethemforyourselfwhenyouseehim。Heseemstobeinabouteverykindofsocialdoin’sthereisdownhere，andhe’sasmuchormorepopularwiththesummerfolksthanwiththeyear-’rounders。
Education？Well，that’sfairtomiddlin’，asIseeit。Hespentnineortenyearsinamightyexpensiveboardin’schoolupinNewYorkState。
Didhe？Whatschool？
Thecaptaingavethenameoftheschool。Fosdicklookedsurprised。
Humph！ThatISagoodschool，hesaid。
Isit？Dependsonwhatyoucallgood，Ical’late。Allearnedagooddealofthisandthat，alittlebitofforeignlanguage，somethattheycalldeadandsomethatoughttobedead——andburied，’cordin’tomynotion。Whenhecametomehecouldn’taddupacolumnoftenfiggerswithoutmakin’amistake，andasforbusiness——well，whatheknewaboutbusinesswasaboutequaltowhatNoahknewaboutagasengine。
Hepausedtochuckle，andFosdickchuckledwithhim。
Astofamily，wentonCaptainLote，he’saSnowonhismother’sside，andthere’sbeensevengenerationsofSnow’sinthispartoftheCapesincethefirstonelandedhere。SofarasIknow，they’veallmanagedtokeepoutofjail，whichmayhavebeenmoregoodluckthandeservin’insomecases。
Hisfather？queriedFosdick。
Thecaptain’sheavybrowsdrewtogether。HisfatherwasaPortygee——orSpaniard，Ibelieveisright——andhewasaplay-actor，oneofthose——whatdoyoucall’em？——operasingers。
Fosdickseemedsurprisedandinterested。Oh，indeed，heexclaimed，anoperasinger？……Why，hewasn’tSperanza，thebaritone，washe？
Maybe。Ibelievehewas。Hemarriedmydaughterand——well，wewon’ttalkabouthim，ifyoudon’tmind。
ButSperanzawasa——
IFyoudon’tmind，Mr。Fosdick。
CaptainLotelapsedintosilence，drummingthedeskwithhisbigfingers。Hisvisitorwaitedforafewmoments。Atlengthhesaid：
Well，CaptainSnow，Ihaveansweredyourquestionsandyouhaveansweredmine。Doyouthinkweareanyneareranagreementnow？
CaptainZelotesseemedtoawakewithastart。Eh？hequeried。
Agreement？Oh，Idon’tknow。Didyoufindany——er——whatyoumightcallvitalobjectionsintheboy’srecord？
No-o。No，allthatisallright。Hisfamilyandhiseducationandalltherestaregoodenough，I’msure。But，nevertheless——
Youstillobjecttotheyoungfolksgettin’married。
Yes，Ido。Hangitall，Snow，thisisn’tathingonecanreasonout，exactly。Madelineisouronlychild。sheisourpet，ourbaby。NaturallyhermotherandIhaveplannedforher，hopedforher，figuredthatsomeday，whenwehadtogiveherup，itwouldbeto——to——
Tosomebodythatwasn’tAlbertSperanzaofSouthHarniss，Mass……Eh？
Yes。Notthatyourgrandsonisn’tallright。Ihavenodoubtheisatip-topyoungfellow。But，yousee——
CaptainLotesuddenlyleanedforward。CourseIsee，Mr。Fosdick，
heinterrupted。CourseIsee。Youobject，andtheobjectionain’tamiteweakeronaccountofyournotbein’abletosayexactlywhat’tis。
That’stheidea。Thankyou，Captain。
You’rewelcome。Icanunderstand。Iknowjusthowyoufeel，becauseI’vebeenfeelin’thesamewaymyself。
Oh，youhave？Good！ThenyoucansympathizewithMrs。Fosdickandwithme。Yousee——youunderstandwhywehadratherourdaughterdidnotmarryyourgrandson。
Sartin。Yousee，I’vehadjustthesamesortofgeneralkindofobjectiontoAl’smarryin’yourdaughter。
Mr。FletcherFosdickleanedslowlybackwardinhischair。Hisappearancewassuggestiveofonewhohasreceivedanunexpectedthumpbetweentheeyes。
Oh，youhave！hesaidagain，butnotwiththesameexpression。
Um-hm，saidCaptainZelotesgravely。I’mlikeyouinoneway。
I’venevermetyourMadelineanymorethanyouhavemetAl。I’veseenheronceortwice，andsheisrealprettyandnice-lookin’。
ButIdon’tknowheratall。NowIdon’tdoubtforaminutebutthatshe’sarealnicegirlanditmightbethatshe’dmakeAlafairlygoodwife。
Er——well，——thanks。
Oh，that’sallright，Imeanit。Itmightbeshewould。AndI
ain’tgotathingagainstyouoryourfolks。
Humph，——er——thanksagain。
That’sallright。youdon’tneedtothankme。Butit’sthiswaywithme——IliveinSouthHarnissalltheyearround。IwanttoliveheretillIdie，and——afterIdieI’dlikefirst-ratetohaveAltakeuptheZ。SnowandCo。businessandtheSnowhouseandlandandkeepthemgoin’tillHEdies。Mind，Iain’tatallsurethathe’lldoit，orbecapableofdoin’it，butthat’swhatI’dlike。
Nowyou’reinNewYorkmostoftheyear，andso’syourwifeanddaughter。NewYorkisallright——Iain’tsayin’awordagainstit——
butNewYorkandSouthHarnissaredifferent。
TheFosdickliptwitched。Somewhatdifferent，headmitted。
Um-hm。Thatsoundslikeajoke，Iknow。butIdon’tmeanitso，notnow。WhatImeanisthatIknowSouthHarnissandSouthHarnissfolks。Idon’tknowNewYork——notsoverywell，thoughI’vebeenthereplentyoftimes——andIdon’tknowNewYorkways。
ButIdoknowSouthHarnissways，andtheysuitme。Wouldtheysuityourdaughter——notjustforsummer，butasareg’larthingrightstraightalongyearinandout？Idoubtit，Mr。Fosdick，I
doubtitconsid’able。CourseIdon’tknowyourdaughter——
Ido——andIshareyourdoubts。
Um-hm。Butwhethershelikeditornotshe’dhavetocomehereifshemarriedmygrandson。Eitherthatorhe’dhavetogotoNewYork。AndifhewenttoNewYork，howwouldheearnhislivin’？
Getanewbookkeepin’jobandstartalloveragain，orliveonpoetry？
Mr。Fosdickopenedhismouthasiftospeak，seemedtochangehismindandcloseditagain，withoutspeaking。CaptainZelotes，lookingkeenlyathim，seemedtoguesshisthoughts。
Ofcourse，hesaiddeliberately，butwithafirmnesswhichpermittednomisunderstandingofhismeaning，ofcourseyoumustn’tgetitintoyourheadforoneminutethattheboyisfiggerin’onyourdaughter’sbein’arichgirl。Hehasn’tgiventhatathought。Youtakemywordforthat，Mr。Fosdick。Hedoesn’tknowhowmuchmoneysheoryouhavegotandhedoesn’tcare。Hedoesn’tcareacontinentaldarn。
Hisvisitorsmiledslightly。Nevertheless，hebegan。Thecaptaininterruptedhim。
No，thereain’tanynevertheless，hesaid。AlberthasbeenwithmeenoughyearsnowsothatIknowalittleabouthim。AndIknowthatallhewantsisyourdaughter。Astohowmuchshe’sworthinmoneyorhowthey’regoin’toliveafterhe’sgother——Iknowthathehasn’tgivenitonethought。Idon’timagineshehas，either。
Foronereason，headded，withasmile，heistoopoorabusinessmantothinkofmarriageasabusiness，bill-payin’contract，andforanother，——foranother——why，goodLord，Fosdick！heexclaimed，leaningforward，don’tyouknowwhatthisthingmeanstothosetwoyoungfolks？Itmeansjustmoonshineandmushandlookin’intoeachother’seyes，that’saboutall。THEYhaven’tthoughtanypracticalthoughtsaboutit。Why，thinkwhattheiragesare！
Thinkofyourselfatthatage！Can’tyouremember……Humph！
Well，I’mtalkin’fiftyrevolutionstothesecond。Ibegyourpardon。
That’sallright，Snow。AndIbelieveyouhavethesituationsizedupasitis。Still——
Excuseme，Mr。Fosdick，butdon’tyouthinkit’sabouttimeyouhadalookattheboyhimself？I’mgoin’toaskhimtocomeinhereandmeetyou。
Fosdicklookedtroubled。Thinkitisgoodpolicy？heaskeddoubtfully。Iwanttoseehimandspeakwithhim，butIdohateascene。
Therewon’tbeanyscene。Youjustmeethimfacetofaceandtalkenoughwithhimtogetalittleideaofwhatyourfirstimpressionis。Don’tcontradictorcommityourselforanything。AndI’llsendhimoutattheendoftwoorthreeminutes。
Withoutwaitingforareply，herose，openedthedoortotheouterofficeandcalled，Al，comeinhere！WhenAlberthadobeyedtheorderheclosedthedoorbehindhimandturningtothegentlemaninthevisitor’schair，said：Mr。Fosdick，thisismygrandson，AlbertSperanza。Al，shakehandswithMr。FosdickfromNewYork。
Whileawaitingthesummonstomeetthefatherofhisadored，Alberthadbeenrehearsingandre-rehearsingthespeechesheintendedmakingwhenthatmeetingtookplace。Sittingathisdesk，peninhandandpretendingtobebusywiththebookkeepingofZ。SnowandCompany，hehadseen，nottheruledpageofthedaybook，buttheparentalcountenanceoftheHonorableFletcherFosdick。And，tohismind’seye，thatcountenancewasasruggedandsternastherock-boundcoastuponwhichthePilgrimslanded，andaboutasunyieldingandimpregnableasthedooroftheofficesafe。So，whenhisgrandfathercalledhim，hedescendedfromthetalldeskstoolandcrossedthethresholdoftheinnerroom，atriflepale，alittleshakyattheknees，butwiththesetchinanderectheadofonewho，facingalmosthopelessodds，intendsfightingtothelastgasp。
TohisastonishmenttheFosdickcountenancewasnotashisimaginationhadpicturedit。Theblueeyesmethis，notwithaglareoraglower，butwithalookofinterestandinquiry。TheFosdickhandshookhiswithpoliteness，andtheFosdickmannerwas，ifnotgenial，atleastquietandmatteroffact。Hewastakenaback。Whatdiditmean？WasitpossiblethatMadeline’sfatherwasinclinedtoregardherengagementtohimwithfavor？Agreatthrobofjoyaccompaniedthethought。Thenherememberedtheletterhehadjustread，theletterfromMadeline’smother，andthehopesubsided。
Albert，saidCaptainZelotes，Mr。Fosdickhascomeonheretotalkwithus。thatis，withmeandyou，aboutyouraffairs。HeandIhavetalkeduptothepointwhereitseemedtomeyououghttocomeinforaspell。I’vetoldhimthatthenewsthatyouandhisdaughterwere——er——favorablydisposedtowardeachotherwasassuddenandasbigasurprisetomeas’twastohim。Evenyourgrandmadon’tknowityet。NowIpresumelikelyhe’dliketoaskyouafewquestions。Heaveahead，Mr。Fosdick。
Herelithiscigarstumpandleanedbackinhischair。Mr。Fosdickleanedforwardinhis。Albertstoodverystraight，hisshouldersbracedfortheencounter。ThequizzicaltwinkleshoneinCaptainLote’seyeasheregardedhisgrandson。Fosdickalsosmiledmomentarilyashecaughttheexpressionoftheyouth’sface。
Well，Speranza，hebegan，insocheerfulatonethatAlbert’sastonishmentgrewevengreater，yourgrandfatherhasbeenkindenoughtogetusthroughthepreliminaries，sowe’llcomeatoncetotheessentials。Youandmydaughterconsideryourselvesengagedtomarry？
Yes，sir。WeAREengaged。
Isee。Howlonghaveyou——um——beenthatway，sotospeak？
SincelastAugust。
Whyhaven’tyousaidanythingaboutittous——toMrs。Fosdickormeoryourpeoplehere？Youmustexcusethesepersonalquestions。
AsIhavejustsaidtoCaptainSnow，Madelineisouronlychild，andherhappinessandwelfaremeanaboutallthereisinlifetohermotherandme。So，naturally，themansheisgoingtomarryisanimportantconsideration。YouandIhavenevermetbefore，sothequickestwayofreachinganunderstandingbetweenusisbythequestionroute。Yougetmymeaning？
Yes，sir，IguessIdo。
Good！Thenwe’llgoahead。Whyhaveyoutwokeptitasecretsolong？
Because——well，becauseweknewwecouldn’tmarryyetawhile，sowethoughtwehadbetternotannounceitforthepresent。
Oh！……AndtheideathatperhapsMrs。FosdickandImightbeslightlyinteresteddidn’toccurtoyou？
Why，yes，sir，itdid。But，——butwethoughtitbestnottotellyouuntillater。
Perhapsthesuspicionthatwemightnotbeoverjoyedbythenewshadalittleweightwithyou，eh？Possiblythathelpedtodelaythe——er——announcement？
No，sir，I——Idon’tthinkitdid。
Oh，don’tyou！PerhapsyouthoughtweWOULDbeoverjoyed？
No，sir。Wedidn’tthinksoverymuchaboutit。Well，that’snotquitetrue。Madelinefeltthathermother——andyou，too，sir，I
suppose，althoughshedidn’tspeakasoftenofyouinthatway——shefeltthathermotherwoulddisapproveatfirst，andsowehadbetterwait。
Untilwhen？
Until——untilbyandby。UntilIhadgoneaheadfurther，youknow。
I’mnotsurethatIdoknow。Goneaheadhow？Untilyouhadabetterposition，moresalary？
No，notexactly。Untilmywritingswerebetterknown。UntilI
wasalittlemoresuccessful。
Successful？Untilyouwrotemorepoetry，doyoumean？
Yes，sir。Poetryandotherthings，storiesandplays，perhaps。
Doyoumean——DidyoufigurethatyouandMadelineweretoliveonwhatyoumadebywritingpoetryandtheotherstuff？
Yes，sir，ofcourse。
FosdicklookedacrossatCaptainZelotes。TheCaptain’sfacewasworthlookingat。
Here，here，holdon！heexclaimed，jumpingintotheconversation。
Al，whatareyoutalkin’about？You’rebookkeeperforme，ain’tyou。forthisconcernrightherewhereyouare？Whatdoyoumeanbytalkin’asifyourjobwasmakin’uppoetrypieces？That’sonlywhatyoudoontheside，andyouknowit。Eh，ain’tthatso？
Alberthesitated。Hehad，momentarily，forgottenhisgrandfatherandthelatter’sprejudices。Afterall，whatwastheuseofstirringupadditionaltrouble。
Yes，Grandfather，hesaid。
Courseit’sso。It’sinthisofficethatyoudrawyourwages。
Yes，Grandfather。
Allright。Excusemefornosin’in，Mr。Fosdick，butIknewtheboywasn’tputtin’thethingasplainasitoughttobe，andI
didn’twantyoutogetthewrongnotion。Heaveahead。
Fosdicksmiledslightly。Allright，Captain，hesaid。Igetit，Ithink。Well，then，turningagaintoAlbert，yourplanforsupportingmydaughterwastowaituntilyourpositionhere，plusthepoetry，shouldbringinsufficientrevenue。Itdidn’toccurtoyouthat——well，thattheremightbeapossibilityofgettingmoney——
elsewhere？
Albertplainlydidnotunderstand，butitwasjustasplainthathisgrandfatherdid。CaptainZelotesspokesharply。
Mr。Fosdick，hesaid，Ijustansweredthatquestionforyou。
Yes，Iknow。Butifyouwereinmyplaceyoumightliketohavehimanswerit。Idon’tmeantobeoffensive，butbusinessisbusiness，and，afterall，thisisabusinesstalk。So——
TheCaptaininterrupted。Sowe’lltalkitinabusinessway，eh？
hesnapped。Allright。Al，whatMr。Fosdickmeansishadyoucal’latedthat，ifyoumarriedhisdaughter，maybeherdad’smoneymighthelpyouandhertokeepgoin’？Toputitevenplainer：hadyouplannedsomeonherbein’arichgirl？
Fosdicklookedannoyed。Oh，Isay，Snow！hecried。That’stoostrong，altogether。
Notamite。It’swhatyou’vehadinthebackofyourheadallalong。I’mjusthelpin’ittocomeoutofthefront。Well，Al？
TheredspotswereburningintheSperanzacheeks。Hechokedasheanswered。
No，hecriedfiercely。OfcourseIhaven’tplannedonanysuchthing。Idon’tknowhowrichsheis。Idon’tcare。Iwishshewasaspooras——asIam。IwantHER，that’sall。Andshewantsme。Wedon’teitherofuscareaboutmoney。Iwouldn’ttakeacentofyourmoney，Mr。Fosdick。ButI——IwantMadelineand——and——
Ishallhaveher。
Inspiteofherparents，eh？
Yes……I’msorrytospeakso，Mr。Fosdick，butitistrue。
We——weloveeachother。We——we’veagreedtowaitforeachother，nomatter——nomatterifitisyearsandyears。Andasforthemoneyandallthat，ifyoudisinherither，or——orwhateveritistheydo——wedon’tcare。I——Ihopeyouwill。I——she——
CaptainZelotes’voicebrokeinupontheimpassionedoutburst。
Steady，Al。steady，son，hecautionedquietly。Ical’lateyou’vesaidenough。Idon’tthinkanymore’snecessary。You’dbettergobacktoyourdesknow。
But，Grandfather，Iwanthimtounderstand——
Iguesslikelyhedoes。Ishouldsayyou’dmadeitrealplain。
Gonow，Al。
Albertturned，but，withashakinghanduponthedoorknob，turnedbackagain。
I’m——I——I’msorry，Mr。Fosdick，hefaltered。I——Ididn’tmeantosayanythingtohurtyourfeelings。But——but，yousee，Madeline——sheandI——we——
Hecouldnotgoon。Fosdick’snodandanswerwerenotunkindly。
Allright，Speranza，hesaid，I’mnotoffended。HopeIwasn’ttooblunt，myself。Good-day。
WhenthedoorhadclosedbehindtheyoungmanheturnedtoCaptainLote。
SorryifIoffendedyou，Snow，heobserved。Ithrewinthathintaboutmarryingjusttoseewhateffectitwouldhave，that’sall。
Um-hm。SoIjudged。Well，yousaw，didn’tyou？
Idid。Say，Captain，exceptasaprospectiveson-in-law，andthenonlybecauseIdon’tseehiminthatlight——Iratherlikethatgrandsonofyours。He’safine，upstandingyoungchap。
Thecaptainmadenoreply。Hemerelypulledathisbeard。
However，hedidnotlookdispleased。
He’sahandsomespecimen，isn’the？wentonFosdick。NowonderMadelinefellforhislooks。Thoseandthepoetrytogetherareacombinationhardtoresist——atherage。Andhe’sagentleman。HehandledhimselfmightywellwhileIwasstringinghimjustnow。
Thebeardtuggingcontinued。Um-hm，observedCaptainZelotesdryly。hedoesprettywellfora——SouthHarnissgentleman。Butwe’rekindofwastin’time，ain’twe，Mr。Fosdick？Inspiteofhislooksandhismannersandalltherest，nowthatyou’veseenhimyoustillobjecttothatengagement，Itakeit。
Why，yes，Ido。Theboyisallright，I’msure，but——
Sartin，Iunderstand。Ifeelthesamewayaboutyourgirl。She’sallright，I’msure，but——
We’reagreedoneverything，includin’the’but。’Andthe’but’isthatNewYorkisoneplaceandSouthHarnissisanother。
Exactly。
Sowedon’twant’emtomarry。Fine。Firstrate！Onlynowwecometothemostimportant’but’ofall。Whatarewegoingtodoaboutit？Supposewesaynoandtheysayyesandkeeponsayin’
it？Supposetheydecidetogetmarriednomatterwhatwesay。Howarewegoin’tostopit？
Hisvisitorregardedhimforamomentandthenbrokeintoaheartylaugh。
Snow，hedeclared，you’reallright。Yousurelyhavethefacultyofputtingyourfingerontheweakspots。Ofcoursewecan’tstopit。Ifthesetwoyoungidiotshaveamindtomarryandkeepthatmind，theyWILLmarryandwecan’tpreventitanymorethanwecouldpreventthetidecominginto-morrowmorning。_I_
realizedthatthiswasasortoffool’serrand，mycomingdownhere。Iknowthatthisisn’ttheagewhenparentscanforbidmarriagesandgetawaywithit，astheyusedtoonthestageintheoldplays。Boysandgirlsnowadayshaveawayofgoingtheirowngaitinsuchmatters。Butmywifedoesn’tseeitinexactlythatway，andshewassoinsistentonmycomingdownheretostopthethingifIcouldthat——well，Icame。
I’mgladyoudid，Mr。Fosdick，realglad。And，althoughIagreewithyouthattheveryworstthingtodo，ifwewanttostopthisteamfrompullin’together，istohaulbackonthebitsandholler’Whoa，’stillI’mkindofhopefulthat，maybe……humph！I
declare，itlooksasifI’dhavetotellyouanotherstory。I’mgettin’asbadasCap’nHannibalDoaneusedtobe，andtheyusedtocallhim’TheRopeWalk’’causehespunsomanyyarns。
Fosdicklaughedagain。Youmaygoasfarasyoulikewithyourstories，Captain，hesaid。Icangrowfatonthem。
Thanks。Well，thisain’tastoryexactly。itjustkindofmakesthepointI’mtryin’togetat。CalvinBangshadawhitemareonetimeandthecritterhadahabitofrunnin’away。Oncehiswife，HannahJ。，wasinthebuggyallbyherself，overtotheOstableFair，Calvinhavin’gotouttobuysomepeanutsorsomethin’。Themaregotscaredofthenoiseandcrowdandbolted。Asluckwouldhaveit，shewentrightthroughthefenceandoutontothetrottin’
track。Andaroundthattrackshewent，hellbentforelection。
Allhandswasrunnin’alongsidehollerin’’Stopher！Stopher！
’butnotCalvin——noSIR！Hewaitedtillthemarewasabreastofhim，themareontwolegsandthebuggyontwowheelsandHannah’mostanywheresbetweenthedasherandthenextworld，andthenhesungout：’Giveherherhead，Hannah！Giveherherhead。She’llstopwhensherunsdown。’
Helaughedandhisvisitorlaughedwithhim。
Igather，observedtheNewYorker，thatyoubelieveitthebetterpolicytogiveouryoungpeopletheirheads。
Inreason——yes，Ido。It’smyjudgmentthatanaffairlikethiswillhurrymoreandmoreifyoutrytoohardtostopit。Ifyoudon’ttryatallsoanyonewouldnoticeit，itmayrundownandstopofitself，thewayCalvin’smaredid。
Fosdicknoddedreflectively。I’minclinedtoagreewithyou，hesaid。Butdoesthatmeanthatthey’retocorrespond，writeloveletters，andallthat？
Why，inreason，maybe。Ifwesaynotothat，they’llwriteanyhow，won’tthey？
Ofcourse……Howwoulditdotogetthemtopromisetowritenothingthattheirparentsmightnotsee？OfcourseIdon’tmeanforyourgrandsontoshowyouhislettersbeforehesendsthemtoMadeline。He’stoooldforthat，andhewouldrefuse。ButsupposeyouaskedhimtoagreetowritenothingthatMadelinewouldnotbewillingtoshowhermother——orme。Doyouthinkhewould？
Maybe。I’llaskhim……Yes，Iguesslikelyhe’ddothat。
Myreasonforsuggestingitis，frankly，notsomuchonaccountoftheyoungpeopleastopacifymywife。Iamnotafraid——notverymuchafraidofthisloveaffair。Theyareyoung，bothofthem。
Givethemtime，and——asyousay，Snow，thethingmayrundown，peterout。
I’minhopes’twill。It’scalflove，asIseeit，andIbelieve’twillpaytogivethecalvesropeenough。
SodoI。No，I’mnotmuchtroubledabouttheyoungpeople。ButMrs。Fosdick——well，mytroublewillbewithher。She’llwanttohaveyourboyshotorjailedorhangedorsomething。
Ipresumelikely。Iguessyou’llhavetohandleherthewayanotherfellerwhousedtolivehereinSouthHarnisssaidhehandledhiswife。’Wedon’tneverhaveanytroubleatall，’sayshe。’Whenevershesaysyesorno，Isaythesamething。Lateron，whenitcomestodoin’，IdowhatIfeellike。’……Eh？You’renotgoin’，areyou，Mr。Fosdick？
Hisvisitorhadrisenandwasreachingforhiscoat。CaptainZelotesalsorose。
Don’thurry，don’thurry，hebegged。
Sorry，butImust。IwanttobebackinNewYorktomorrowmorning。
Butyoucan’t，canyou？Todothatyou’llhavetogetuptoBostonorFallRiver，andtheafternoontrain’sgone。You’dbetterstayandhavesupperalongwithmywifeandme，stayatourhouseovernight，andtaketheearlytrainafterbreakfastto-morrow。
IwishIcould。I’dlikenothingbetter。ButIcan’t。
Sure？Then，withasmile，headded：Alneedn’teatwithus，youknow，ifhisbein’theremakeseitherofyoufeelnervous。
Fosdicklaughedagain。IthinkIshouldbewillingtoriskthenervousness，hereplied。ButImustgo，really。I’vehiredachapatthegarageheretodrivemetoBostoninhiscarandI’lltakethemidnighttrainover。
Humph！Well，ifyoumust，youmust。Hopeyouhaveacomf’tabletrip，Mr。Fosdick。Betterwrapupwarm。it’sprettynighafive-
hourruntoBostonandthere’ssomecoolwindovertheOstablemarshesthistimeofyear。Good-by，sir。Gladtohavehadthistalkwithyou。
Hisvisitorheldouthishand。SoamI，Snow，hesaidheartily。
Mightyglad。
IhopeIwasn’ttooshortandbriskatthebeginnin’。Yousee，I’djustreadyourwife’sletter，and——er——well，ofcourse，I
didn’tknow——just——yousee，youandIhadnevermet，andso——
Certainly，certainly。Iquiteunderstand。And，fool’serrandornot，I’mverygladIcamehere。Ifyou’llpardonmysayingso，itwasworththetriptogetacquaintedwithyou。Ihope，whatevercomesoftheotherthing，thatouracquaintanceshipwillcontinue。
Samehere，samehere。Gorightoutthesidedoor，Mr。Fosdick，savesgoin’throughtheoffice。Goodday，sir。
HewatchedthebulkyfigureoftheNewYorkbankertrampingacrosstheyardbetweenthepilesoflumber。Amomentlaterheenteredtheouteroffice。AlbertandKeelerwereattheirdesks。CaptainZelotesapproachedthelittlebookkeeper。
Labe，hequeried，thereisn’tanythingparticularyouwantmetotalkaboutjustnow，isthere？
Lahanlookedupinsurprisefromhisfiguring。
Why——why，no，Cap’nLote，don’tknow’sthereis，hesaid。Don’tknow’sthereis，notnow，no，no，no。
Hisemployernodded。Good！heexclaimed。ThenI’mgoin’backinsidethereandsitdownandrestmychinforanhour，anyhow。
I’vetalkedsomuchto-daythatmyjawssqueak。Don’tdisturbmeforanythingshortofafireoramutiny。
CHAPTERXII
Hewasnotdisturbedandthatevening，aftersupperwasover，hewasreadytotalkagain。HeandAlbertsattogetherinthesittingroom——Mrs。SnowandRachelwereinthekitchenwashingdishes——andCaptainZelotestoldhisgrandsonasmuchashethoughtadvisabletotellofhisconversationwiththeHonorableFletcherFosdick。
AtfirstAlbertwasinclinedtorebelattheideaofpermittinghisletterstoMadelinetobereadbythelatter’sparents，butatlengthheagreed。
I’lldoitbecauseitmaymakeiteasierforher，hesaid。
She’llhaveadreadfultime，Isuppose，withthatunreasonablemotherofhers。But，byGeorge，Grandfather，heexclaimed，isn’tshesplendid，though！
Who？Mrs。Fosdick？
No，ofcoursenot，indignantly。Madeline。Isn’tshesplendidandfineandloyal！Iwantyoutoknowher，Grandfather，youandGrandmother。
Um-hm。Well，we’llhopeto，someday。Now，son，I’mgoin’toaskforanotherpromise。Itmayseemahardonetomake，butI’maskin’youtomakeit。Iwantyoutogivemeyourwordthat，nomatterwhathappensorhowlongyouhavetowait，youandMadelinewon’tgetmarriedwithouttellin’herfolksandyoursbeforehand。
Youwon’trunawayandmarry。Willyoupromisemethat？
Albertlookedathim。ThisWASahardpromisetomake。Intheirtalksbeneaththerainbows，wheneverheandMadelinehadreferredtothefutureanditsdoubts，theyhadalwayspushedthosedoubtsasidewithvaguehintsofanelopement。Iftheunreasonablenessofparentsandgrandparentsshouldcrowdthemtoofar，theyhadalwaysasalastresort，thesolutionoftheirproblembywayofarunawaymarriage。AndnowCaptainZeloteswasaskinghimtogiveupthislastresort。
Thecaptain，watchinghimkeenly，divinedwhatwasinhisgrandson’smind。
Thinkitover，Al，hesaidkindly。Don’tanswermenow，butthinkitover，andto-morrowmornin’tellmehowyoufeelaboutit。Hehesitatedamomentandthenadded：YouknowyourgrandmotherandI，we——well，wehavemaybecausetobealittlemiteprejudicedagainstthiselopin’business。
SoAlbertthought，andthenextmorning，asthepairwerewalkingtogethertotheoffice，hespokehisthought。CaptainZeloteshadnotmentionedthesubject。
Grandfather，saidAlbert，withsomeembarrassment，I’mgoingtogiveyouthatpromise。
Hisgrandfather，whohadbeenstridingalong，hisheavybrowsdrawntogetherandhisglancefixeduponthefrozengroundbeneathhisfeet，lookedup。
Eh？hequeried，uncomprehendingly。
Youaskedmelastnighttopromiseyousomething，youknow……
Youaskedmetothinkitover。Ihave，andI’mgoingtopromiseyouthat——MadelineandIwon’tmarrywithoutfirsttellingyou。
CaptainZelotesstoppedinhisstride。thenhewalkedonagain。
Thankyou，Al，hesaidquietly。Ihopedyou’dseeitthatway。
Yes——yes，I——Ido。Idon’twanttobringanymore——troubleofthatkindtoyouandGrandmother……Itseemstomethatyou——
thatyouhavehadtoomuchalready。
Thankyou，son……Muchobliged。
Thecaptain’stonewasalmostgruffandthatwashisonlyreferencetothesubjectofthepromise。butsomehowAlbertfeltthatatthatmomentheandhisgrandfatherwereclosertogether，werenearertoamutualunderstandingandmutualappreciationthantheyhadeverbeenbefore。
Topromise，however，isonething，tofulfilltheobligationanother。AsthedayspassedAlbertfoundhispromiseconcerningletter-writingvery，veryhardtokeep。When，eacheveninghesatdownatthetableinhisroomtopourouthissouluponpaperitwasamostunsatisfactoryoutpouring。TheconstantlyenforcedrecollectionthatwhateverhewrotewouldbesubjecttothechillingglanceoftheeyeofFosdickmaterwasofitselfacheckupontheflow。TowritealovelettertoMadelinehadhithertobeenajoy，arapture，tofillpagesandpagesadelight。Now，somehow，thesepageswerehardtofill。Omittingtheverythingsyouweredyingtosay，theprecious，theintimatethings——whatwasthereleft？Heandshehad，attheirmeetingsandintheirformercorrespondence，inventedmanydelightfullittlepetnamesforeachother。Nowthosenamesweretaboo。or，atanyrate，theymightaswellbe。ThethoughtofMrs。Fosdick’ssniffofindignantdisgustatfindingherdaughterreferredtoassomeone’sownestlittlerosebudwitheredthatbudbeforeitreachedthepaper。
AndMadeline’sletterstohimwerequiteasunsatisfactory。Theywerelengthy，butoh，somatteroffact！Saharasoffactwithoutoneoasisofsentiment。Shewaswellandshehaddonethisandthatandhadbeentoseesuchandsuchplaysandoperas。Fatherwaswellandverybusy。Mother，too，waswell，sowasGoogoo——buttheselasttwobitsofnewsfailedtocomforthimastheyperhapsshould。Hecouldonlytrytogleanbetweenthelines，andasMrs。
Fosdickhadrakedbetweenthoselinesbeforehim，thegleaningwasscantpickingindeed。
Hefoundhimselfgrowingdisconsolateanddespondent。Summerseemedagesaway。Andwhenatlastitshouldcome——whatwouldhappenthen？Hecouldseeheronlywhenproperlychaperoned，onlywhenMother，andprobablyGoogoo，werepresent。HeflewforconsolationtotheMuseandtheMuserefusedtoconsole。Thepoemshewrotewereblueanddespairinglikewise。Consequentlytheydidnotsell。Hewasgrowingdesperate，readyforanything。Andsomethingcame。GermanydeliveredtoourGovernmentitsarrogantmandateconcerningunlimitedsubmarinewarfare。Along-sufferingPresidentthrewpatienceoverboardandansweredthatmandateinunmistakableterms。Congressstoodathisbackandbehindthemaunitedandindignantpeople。TheUnitedStatesdeclaredwarupontheHun。
SouthHarniss，likeeveryothercommunity，becamewildlyexcited。
CaptainZelotesSnow’sgrayeyesflashedfierysatisfaction。TheflagsattheSnowplaceandatthelumberyardflewhighnightandday。Heboughtnewspapersgaloreandreadfromthemaloudatmeals，intheevenings，andbeforebreakfast。Issachar，asusual，talkedmuchandsaidlittle。LabanKeeler’scommentswerepithyanddrylypointed。Albertwasveryquiet。
Butoneforenoonhespoke。CaptainLotewasintheinneroffice，themorningnewspaperinhishand，whenhisgrandsonenteredandclosedthedoorbehindhim。Thecaptainlookedup。
Well，Al，whatisit？heasked。
Albertcameoverandstoodbesidethedesk。Thecaptain，afteramoment’sscrutinyoftheyoungman’sface，putdownhisnewspaper。
Well，Al？hesaid，again。
Albertseemedtofindithardtospeak。
Grandfather，hebegan，I——I——Grandfather，Ihavecometoaskafavorofyou。
Thecaptainnodded，slowly，hisgazefixeduponhisgrandson’sface。
Allright。heaveahead，hesaidquietly。
Grandfather，youandIhavehadafouryears’agreementtoworktogetherinthisoffice。Itisn’tupyet，but——butIwanttobreakit。Iwantyoutoletmeoff。
Humph！……Letyouoff，eh？……Whatfor？
That’swhatIcameheretotellyou。Grandfather，Ican’tstayhere——now。Iwanttoenlist。
CaptainZelotesdidnotanswer。Hishandmovedupwardandpulledathisbeard。
Iwanttoenlist，repeatedAlbert。Ican’tstanditanotherminute。Imust。Ifithadn’tbeenforyouandourpromiseand——
andMadeline，IthinkIshouldhavejoinedtheCanadianArmyayearormoreago。Butnowthatwehavegoneintothewar，ICAN’Tstayout。Grandfather，youdon’twantmeto，doyou？Ofcourseyoudon’t。
Hisgrandfatherappearedtoponder。
Ifyoucanwaitaspell，hesaidslowly，Imightbeabletofixitso’syoucangetachanceforanofficer’scommission。I’doughttohavesomepullsomewheres，seemsso。
Albertsniffedimpatientdisgust。Idon’twanttogetacommission——inthatway，hedeclared。
Humph！You’llfindthere’splentythatdo，Ishouldn’twonder。
Perhaps，butI’mnotoneofthem。AndIdon’tcaresomuchforacommission，unlessIcanearnit。AndIdon’twanttostayhereandstudyforit。Iwanttogonow。Iwanttogetintothething。
Idon’twanttowait。
CaptainLoteleanedforward。Hisgrayeyessnapped。
Wanttofight，doyou？hequeried。
YoubetIdo！
Allright，myboy，thengo——andfight。I’dbeashamedofmyselfifIheldyoubackaminute。Goandfight——andfighthard。IonlywishtoGodIwasyoungenoughtogowithyou。
CHAPTERXIII
Andso，inthisunexpectedfashion，cameprematurelytheendofthefouryeartrialagreementbetweenAlbertSperanzaandZ。SnowandCo。OfcourseneitherCaptainZelotesnorAlbertadmittedthatithadended。Eachprofessedtoregardthebreakasmerelytemporary。
You’llbebackatthatdeskinalittlewhile，Al，saidthecaptain，addin’upfiggersandtormentin’Issy。AndAlbert’sreplywasinvariably，Why，ofcourse，Grandfather。
Hehaddreadedhisgrandmother’sreceptionofthenewsofhisintendedenlistment。Oliveworshipedherdaughter’sboyand，althoughanardentpatriot，wasbynomeansasfiercelybelligerentasherhusband。SheprayedeachnightforthedefeatoftheHun，whereasCaptainLotewasforlickinghimfirstandprayingafterwards。Albertfearedascene。hefearedthatshemightbeprostratedwhenshelearnedthathewastogotowar。Butsheboreitwonderfullywell，andasforthedreadedscene，therewasnone。
Zelotessayshethinksit’stherightthingforyoutodo，Albert，
shesaid，soIsupposeIoughttothinkso，too。But，oh，mydear，DOyoureallyfeelthatyoumust？I——itdon’tseemasIcouldbearto……butthere，Imustn’ttalkso。Itain’tamiteharderformethanitisforthousandsofwomenalloverthisworld……Andperhapsthegovernmentfolkswon’ttakeyou，anyway。RachelsaidshereadintheItemaboutsomeyoungmanoverinBayportwhowasrejectedbecausehehadfatfeet。Shemeantflatfeet，Isuppose，poorthing。Oh，dearme，I’mlaughin’，anditseemswickedtolaughatimelikethis。AndwhenIthinkofyougoin’，Albert，I——I……
butthere，IpromisedZelotesIwouldn’t……AndtheyMAYnottakeyou……Butoh，ofcoursetheywill，ofcoursetheywill！……I’mgoin’tomakeyouachickenpiefordinnerto-day。
Iknowhowyoulikeit……IfonlytheyMIGHTrejectyou！……
Butthere，IsaidIwouldn’tandIwon’t。
RachelEllis’sopiniononthesubjectandherwayofexpressingthatopinionweredistinctlyherown。Albertaroseearlyinthemorningfollowingtheannouncementofhisdecisiontoentertheservice。Hehadnotsleptwell。hismindwastoobusywithproblemsandspeculationstoresignitselftosleep。HehadtossedaboutuntildawnandhadthenrisenandsatdownatthetableinhisbedroomtowriteMadelineofthestephehaddeterminedtotake。Hehadnotwrittenherwhilehewasconsideringthatstep。
Hefelt，somehow，thathealonewithnopressurefromwithoutshouldmakethedecision。Nowthatitwasmade，andirrevocablymade，shemustofcoursebetold。Tellingher，however，wasnotaneasytask。Hewassureshewouldagreethathehaddonetherightthing，theonlything，but——
Itisgoingtobeveryhardforyou，dear，hewrote，heedlessofthefactthatMrs。Fosdick’scensoriouseyewouldseeandcondemnthedear。Itisgoingtobehardforbothofus。ButIamsureyouwillfeelasIdothatICOULDN’Tdoanythingelse。IamyoungandstrongandfitandIamanAmerican。IMUSTgo。Youseeit，don’tyou，Madeline。IcanhardlywaituntilyourlettercomestellingmethatyoufeelIdidjustthethingyouwouldwishmetodo。
Hehesitatedandthen，evenmoreregardlessofthecensor，addedthequotationwhichcountlessyoungloverswerefindingsoaptjustthen：
Icouldnotlovethee，dear，somuch，LovedInothonormore。
Sowhen，freshfromtheintimacyofthiscommunicationwithhisadoredandwiththeletterinhishand，heenteredthesitting-roomatthatearlyhourhewasnotoverjoyedtofindthehousekeeperthereaheadofhim。Andherfirstsentenceshowedthatshehadbeenawaitinghiscoming。
Goodmornin’，Albert，shesaid。Iheardyoustirrin’’roundupinyourroomandIcamedownhereso’syouandIcouldtalktogetherforaminutewithoutanybody’sdisturbin’us