\"No——\"
\"Why,yes。WemustgoouttopoorChecco,now;Mr。Vostrandinsistsuponthat。Ifeverweareaunitedfamilyagain,Mr。Westover——ifMr。
Vostrandcanarrangehisbusiness,whenCheccoisreadytoenterHarvard——ImeantotakeahouseinBoston。I’msureIshouldbecontentedtolivenowhereelseinAmerica。Theplacehasquitebewitchedme——dearold,sober,charmingBoston!I’msureIshouldliketoliveherealltherestofmylife。Butwhyintheworlddopeoplegooutoftownsoearly?
Thosehousesovertherehavebeenshutforawholemonthpast!\"
TheyweresittingatMrs。Vostrand’swindowlookingoutontheavenue,wherethepaleglobularelectricswereswimminglikejelly—fishinthecleareveningair,andabovetheranksoflowtreesthehousesontheothersidewereclose—shutteredfrombasementtoattic。
Westoveranswered:\"Somegobecausetheyhavesuchpleasanthousesattheshore,andsomebecausetheywanttododgetheirtaxes。\"
\"Tododgetheirtaxes?\"sherepeated,andhehadtoexplainhowifpeoplewereintheircountry—housesbeforethe1stofMaytheywouldnothavetopaythehighpersonaltaxofthecity;andshesaidthatshewouldwritethattoMr。Vostrand;itwouldbeanotherpointinfavorofBoston。
Women,shedeclared,wouldneverhavethoughtofsuchathing;shedenouncedthemasculpablyignorantofsomanymattersthatconcernedthem,especiallylegalmatters。\"Andyouthink,\"sheasked,\"thatMr。
Durginwillbeagoodlawyer?Thathewill—distinguishhimself?\"
Westoverthoughtitratherashort—cuttoJefffromthethingstheyhadbeentalkingof,butifshewishedtospeakofhimhehadnoreasontoopposeherwish。\"I’veheardit’sallchangedagooddeal。Therearestilldistinguishedlawyers,andlawyerswhogeton,buttheydon’tdistinguishthemselvesintheoldwaysomuch,andtheygetonbestbybecomingcounselforsomepowerfulcorporation。\"
\"Andyouthinkhehastalent?\"shepursued。\"Forthat,Imean。\"
\"Oh,Idon’tknow,\"saidWestover。\"Ithinkhehasagoodhead。Hecandowhathelikeswithincertainlimits,andthelimitsarenotallonthesideIusedtofancy。Hebafflesme。ButoflateIfancyyou’veseenrathermoreofhimthanIhave。\"
\"Ihaveurgedhimtogomoretoyou。But,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,withaburstoffrankness,\"hethinksyoudon’tlikehim。\"
\"He’swrong,\"saidWestover。\"ButImightdislikehimverymuch。\"
\"Iseewhatyoumean,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,\"andI’mgladyou’vebeensofrankwithme。I’vebeensointerestedinMr。Durgin,sointerested!
Isn’theveryyoung?\"
ThequestionseemedabitofindirectiontoWestover。Butheanswereddirectlyenough。\"He’sratheroldforaSophomore,Ibelieve。He’stwenty—two。\"
\"AndGenevieveistwenty。Mr。Westover,mayItrustyouwithsomething?\"
\"Witheverything,Ihope,Mrs。Vostrand。\"
\"It’saboutGenevieve。Herfatherissoopposedtohermakingaforeignmarriage。Itseemstobehisonegreatdread。And,ofcourse,she’sverymuchexposedtoit,livingabroadsomuchwithme,andIfeeldoublyboundonthataccounttorespectherfather’sopinions,orevenprejudices。BeforeweleftFlorence——infact,lastwinter——therewasamostdelightfulyoungofficerwishedtomarryher。Idon’tknowthatshecaredanythingforhim,thoughhewaseverythingthatIcouldhavewished:handsome,brilliant,accomplished,goodfamily;everythingbutrich,andthatwaswhatMr。Vostrandobjectedto;or,rather,heobjectedtoputtingup,ashecalledit,thesumthatCaptainGrassiwouldhavehadtodepositwiththegovernmentbeforehewasallowedtomarry。
Youknowhowitiswiththepoorfellowsinthearmy,there;Idon’tunderstandtheprocessexactly,butthesumissomethinglikesixtythousandfrancs,Ibelieve;andpoorGigihadn’tit:IalwayscalledhimGigi,buthisnameisCountLuigide’PopolaniGrassi;andheisdescendedfromoneoftheoldrepublicanfamiliesofFlorence。Heissonice!Mr。Vostrandwasopposedtohimfromthebeginning,andassoonasheheardofthesixtythousandfrancs,heutterlyrefused。Hecalleditbuyingason—in—law,butIdon’tseewhyheneedhavelookedatitinthatlight。However,itwasbrokenoff,andweleftFlorence——moreforpoorGigi’ssakethanforGenevieve’s,Imustsay。Hewasquiteheart—
broken;Ipitiedhim。\"
Hervoicehadatenderfallintheclosingwords,andWestovercouldfancyhowsweetshewouldmakehercompassiontotheyoungman。Shebeganseveralsentencesaimlessly,andhesuggested,tosupplythebrokenthreadofherdiscourseratherthantoofferconsolation,whilehereyesseemedtowanderwithhermind,andrangedtheavenueupanddown:\"Thoseforeignmarriagesarenotalwayssuccessful。\"
\"No,theyarenot,\"sheassented。\"Butdon’tyouthinkthey’rebetterwithItaliansthanwithGermans,forinstance。\"
\"Idon’tsupposetheItaliansexpecttheirwivestoblacktheirboots,butI’veheardthattheybeatthem,sometimes。\"
\"Inexaggeratedcases,perhapstheydo,\"Mrs。Vostrandadmitted。\"And,ofcourse,\"sheadded,thoughtfully,\"thereisnothinglikeapurelyAmericanmarriageforhappiness。\"
Westoverwonderedhowshereallyregardedherownmarriage,butsheneverbetrayedanyconsciousnessofitsvariancefromthetype。
XIX。
AyoungcouplecamestrollingdowntheavenuewhotoWestover’sartisticeyefirsttypifiedgraceandstrength,andthentohismorepersonalperceptionidentifiedthemselvesasGenevieveVostrandandJeffDurgin。
Theyfalteredbeforeoneofthebenchesbesidethemall,andheseemedtobebegginghertositdown。Shecasthereyesroundtilltheymusthavecaughtthewindowofhermother’sapartment;then,asifshefeltsafeunderit,shesankintotheseatandJeffputhimselfbesideher。Itwasquitetooearlyyetforthesimpleloverswhopubliclynotifytheirhappinessbytheembracesandhand—claspseverywhereevidentinourparksandgardens;andaBostonpairofsocialtraditionwouldnothavedreamedofsittingonabenchinCommonwealthAvenueatanyhour。ButtwosuchaliensasJeffandMissVostrandmightverywelldoso;andWestoversympathizedwiththeirbohemianimpulse。
Mrs。Vostrandandhewatchedthemawhile,intalkthatstraggledawayfromthem,andbecamemoreandmoredistraughtinviewofthem。Jeffleanedforward,anddrewonthegroundwiththepointofhisstick;
Genevieveheldherheadmotionlessatapensivedroop。ItwasonlytheirbacksthatWestovercouldsee,andhecouldnot,ofcourse,makeoutasyllableofwhatwaseffectivelytheirsilence;butallthesamehebegantofeelasifhewerepeepingandeavesdropping。Mrs。Vostrandseemednottosharehisfeeling,andtherewasnoreasonwhyheshouldhaveitifshehadnot。Heofferedtogo,butshesaid,No,no;hemustnotthinkofittillGenevievecamein;andsheaddedsomebanalitiesaboutheralwaysscoldingwhenshehadmissedoneofhiscalls;theywouldbesofew,now,atthemost。
\"Why,doyouintendtogososoon?\"heasked。
Shedidnotseemtohearhim,andhecouldseethatshewaswatchingtheyoungpeopleintently。JeffhadturnedhisfaceuptowardGenevieve,withoutliftinghisperson,andwassayingsomethingshesuddenlyshrankbackfrom。Shemadeastartasiftorise,butheputouthishandinfrontofher,beseechinglyorcompellingly,andshesankdownagain。
Butsheslowlyshookherheadatwhathewassaying,andturnedherfacetowardhimsothatitgaveherprofiletothespectators。Inthatlightandatthatdistanceitwasimpossibletodomorethanfancyanythingfatefulinthewordswhichsheseemedtobeuttering;butWestoverchosetofancythis。Jeffwaitedamomentinapparentsilence,aftershehadspoken。Hesaterectandfacedher,andthisgavehisprofile,too。
Hemusthavespoken,forsheshookherheadagain;andthen,atotherwordsfromhim,noddedassentingly。Thenshelistenedmotionlesslywhilehepouredarapidstreamofvisiblebutinaudiblewords。Heputouthishand,asiftotakehers,butsheputitbehindher;Westovercouldseeitwhitethereagainstthebeltofherdarkdress。
Jeffwentonmorevehemently,butsheremainedsteadfast,slowlyshakingherhead。Whenheendedshespoke,andwithsomethingofhisownenergy;
hemadeagestureofsubmission,andwhensheroseherose,too。Shestoodamoment,andwithagentleandalmostentreatingmovementsheputoutherhandtohim。Hestoodlookingdown,withbothhishandsrestingonthetopofhisstick,asifignoringherproffer。Thenhesuddenlycaughtherhand,helditamoment;droppedit,andwalkedquicklyawaywithoutlookingback。Genevieveranacrossthelawnandroadwaytowardthehouse。
\"Oh,must,yougo?\"Mrs。VostrandsaidtoWestover。HefoundthathehadprobablyriseninsympathywithJeff’saction。Hewasnotawareofanintentionofgoing,buthethoughthehadbetternotcorrectMrs。
Vostrand’serror。
\"Yes,Ireallymust,now,\"hesaid。
\"Well,then,\"shereturned,distractedly,\"docomeoften。\"
HehurriedouttoavoidmeetingGenevieve。Hepassedher,onthepublicstairsofthehouse,buthesawthatshedidnotrecognizehiminthedimlight。
Latethatnighthewasstartledbystepsthatseemedtobeseekingtheirwayupthestairstohislanding,andthenbyaheavyknockonhisdoor。
Heopenedit,andconfrontedJeffDurgin。
\"MayIcomein,Mr。Westover?\"heasked,withunwonteddeference。
\"Yes,comein,\"saidWestover,withnogreatrelish,settinghisdooropen,andthenholdingontoitamoment,asifhehopedthat,havingcomein,Jeffmightinstantlygooutagain。
HisreluctancewaslostuponJeff,whosaid,unconsciousofkeepinghishaton:\"Iwanttotalkwithyou——Iwanttotellyousomething——\"
\"Allright。Won’tyousitdown?\"
AtthisinvitationJeffseemedremindedtotakehishatoff,andheputitonthefloorbesidehischair。\"I’mnotinascrape,thistime——or,rather,I’mintheworstkindofascrape,thoughitisn’tthekindthatyouwantbailfor。\"
\"Yes,\"Westoverprompted。
\"Idon’tknowwhetheryou’venoticed——andifyouhaven’titdon’tmakeanydifference——thatI’veseemedto——careagooddealforMissVostrand?\"
Westoversawnoreasonwhyheshouldnotbefrank,andsaid:\"Toomuch,I’vefanciedsometimes,forastudentinhisSophomoreyear。\"
\"Yes,Iknowthat。Well,it’sover,whetheritwastoomuchortoolittle。\"Helaughedinajoyless,helplessway,andlookeddeprecatinglyatWestover。\"IguessI’vebeenmakingafoolofmyself——that’sall。\"
\"It’sbettertomakeafoolofone’sselfthantomakeafoolofsomeoneelse,\"saidWestover,oracularly。
\"Yes,\"saidJeff,apparentlyfindingnothingmoredefiniteintheoraclethanpeoplecommonlyfindinoracles。\"ButIthink,\"hewenton,withatouchofbitterness,\"thathermothermighthavetoldmethatshewasengaged——orthesameasengaged。\"
\"Idon’tknowthatshewasboundtotakeyouseriously,ortosupposeyoutookyourselfso,atyourageandwithyourprospectsinlife。Ifyouwanttoknow\"——Westoverfaltered,andthenwenton——\"shebegantobekindtoyoubecauseshewasafraidthatyoumightthinkshedidn’ttakeyourcominghomesecond—cabinintherightway;andonethingledtoanother。
Youmustn’tblameherforwhat’shappened。\"
WestoverdefendedMrs。Vostrand,buthedidnotfeelstronginherdefence;hewasnotsurethatDurginwasquitewrong,absurdashehadbeen。Hesatdownandlookedupathisvisitorunderhisbrows。
\"Whatareyouherefor,Jeff?NottocomplainofMrs。Vostrand?\"
Jeffgaveashort,shamefacedlaugh。\"No,it’sthisyou’resuchanoldfriendofMrs。Vostrand’sthatIthoughtshe’dbeprettysuretotellyouaboutit;andIwantedtoask——toask——thatyouwouldn’tsayanythingtomother。\"
\"Youareaboy!Ishouldn’tthinkofmeddlingwithyouraffairs,\"saidWestover;hegotupagain,andJeffrose,too。
BeforenoonthenextdayadistrictmessengerbroughtWestoveraletterwhichheeasilyknew,from,thenowbelatedtall,angularhand,tobefromMrs。Vostrand。Itannouncedonamuchcriss—crossedlittlesheetthatsheandGenevievewereinconsolablytakingaverysuddendeparture,andweregoingonthetwelve—o’clocktraintoNewYork,whereMr。
Vostrandwastomeetthem。\"InregardtothataffairwhichImentionedlastnight,hewithdrawshisobjections(wehavehadanovernighttelegram),andsoIsupposeallwillgowell。Icannottellyouhowsorrywebotharenottoseeyouagain;youhavebeensuchadear,goodfriendtous;andifyoudon’thearfromusagainatNewYork,youwillfromtheotherside。Genevievehadsomeverystrangenewswhenshecamein,andwebothfeelverysorryforthepooryoungfellow。Youmustconsolehimfromusallyoucan。IdidnotknowbeforehowmuchshewasattachedtoGigi:butitturnedoutveryfortunatelythatshecouldsaysheconsideredherselfboundtohim,anddideverythingtosaveMr。D。’sfeelings。\"
XX。
WestoverwasnotatLion’sHeadagaintillthesummerbeforeJeff’sgraduation。Inthemeantimethehotelhadgrownlikealivingthing。
Hecouldnothaveimaginedwingsinconnectionwiththemainedifice,butithadputforthwings——onethatshelteredanewandenlargeddining—
room,withtwostoriesofchambersabove,andanotherthathoveredaparlorandball—roomunderalikeprovisionofchambers。Anellhadbeenpushedbackonthelevelbehindthehouse;thebarnhadbeenmovedfarthertothesouthward,andonitsoldsitealaundrybuilt,withquartersforthehelpoverit。Allhadbeencarefully,frugally,yetsufficientlydone,andWestoverwasnotsurprisedtolearnthatitwasalltheeffectofJacksonDurgin’singenuityandenergy。Mrs。Durginconfessedtohavingnopartinit;butshehadkeptpace,withCynthiaWhitwell’shelp,inthehousekeeping。AsJacksonhadcautiouslyfelthiswaytotheneedsoftheirpublicintheenlargementandrearrangementofthehotel,thetwohousewiveshadwatchfullystudied,notmerelythedemands,butthehalf—consciousinstinctsoftheirguests,andhadrespondedtothemsimplyandadequately,inthespiritofJackson’sexteriorandstructuralimprovements。Thewallsofthenewroomswereleftunpaperedandtheirfloorsuncarpeted;therewerethinrugsputdown;thewood—workwasmerelystained。Westoverfoundthatheneednottoaskespeciallyforsomehotdishatnight;therewasalmosttheabundanceofadinner,thoughdinnerwasstillatoneo’clock。
Mrs。Durginaskedhimthefirstdayifhewouldnotliketogointotheserving—roomandseeitwhiletheywereservingdinner。Shetriedtoconcealherprideinthebusyscene——thewaitressespushinginthroughonevalveofthedouble—hingeddoorswiththeiremptytrays,andoutthroughtheotherwiththetraysfullladen;deliveringtheirdisheswiththebrokenvictualatthewicket,wheretheuntouchedportionswereputasideandtherestpouredintothewaste;followinginprocessionalongthereekingsteamtable,withitsgreattanksofsoupandvegetables,where,thecarversstoodwiththejointsandthetrussedfowlssmokingbeforethem,whichtheyslicedwithquicksweepsoftheirblades,orwaitingtheirturnattheboardwherethelittleplateswithportionsoffruitanddessertstoodready。Allwentregularlyonamidaclatterofknivesandvoicesanddishes;andtheclashingriseandfallofthewirebasketsplungingthesoiledcrockeryintomistydepths,whenceitcameupcleananddrywithoutthetouchoffingerortowel。Westovercouldnotdenythattherewereelementsofthepicturesqueinit,sothathedidnotrespondquiteinkindtoJeff’ssuggestion——\"Sceneforapainter,Mr。
Westover。\"
Theyoungfellowfollowedsatiricallyathismother’selbow,andmadeamockofherprideinit,tryingtocatchWestover’seyewhensheledhimthroughthekitchenwithitsimmenserange,andintroducedhimtoanewchef,whowipedhishandonhiswhiteaprontoofferittoWestover。
\"Don’tlethimgetawaywithoutseeingthelaundry,mother,\"hersonjeeredatafinalairofabsent—mindednessinher,andshedefiantlyacceptedhischallenge。
\"Jeff’smadbecausehewasn’tconsulted,\"sheexplained,\"andbecausewedon’trunthehouselikehisone—horseEuropeanhotels。\"
\"Oh,I’mnotinitatall,Mr。Westover,\"saidtheyoungfellow。\"I’masmuchapassengerasyouare。TheonlydifferenceisthatI’mallowedtoworkmypassage。\"
\"Well,onething,\"saidhismother,\"isthatwe’vegotahigherclassofboardersthanweeverhadbefore。You’llsee,Mr。Westover,ifyoustayonheretillAugust。There’saclassthatboardsalltheyearround,andthatknowswhatahotelis——aboutaswellasJeff,Iguess。You’llfind’ematthebigcityhouses,thefirstofthewinter,andthentheygodowntoFloridyorGeorgyforFebruaryandMarch;andtheygetuptoFortressMonroeinApril,andworkalongnorthaboutthemiddleofMaytothemfamilyhotelsinthesuburbsaroundBoston;andtheystaytheretillit’stimetogototheshore。TheystayattheshorethroughJuly,andthentheycomehereinAugust,andstaytilltheleavesturn。
They’refolksthatliveontheirmoney,andthey’retheveryhighestclass,Iguess。It’saroundofgayetywith’emthewholeyearthrough。\"
Jeff,fromthevantageofhisgreaterworldlyexperience,wastryingtoexchangelooksofintelligencewithWestoverconcerningthosehotel—
dwellerswhomhismotherreveredasaristocrats;buthedidnotopenlyquestionherconceptions。\"They’vetoldmehowtheydo,someoftheladieshave,\"shewenton。\"They’vegotthemoneyforit,andtheyknowhowtogetthemostfortheirmoney。Why,Mr。Westover,we’vegotroomsinthishouse,now,thatweletforthirty—fivetofiftydollarsaweekfortwopersons,andfolkslikethattake’emrightalongthroughAugustandSeptember,andwantaroomapiece。It’sdifferentnow,Icantellyou,fromwhatitwaswhenfolksthoughtwewaskillin’’emifwewantedtenortwelvedollars。\"
Westoverhadfinishedhisdinnerbeforethistourofthehousebegan,andwhenitwasoverthetwomenstrolledawaytogether。
\"Yousee,it’sontheregularAmericanlines,\"Jeffpursued,afterpartingwithhismother。\"Jackson’sdoneit,andhecan’timagineanythingelse。Idon’tsayitisn’twelldoneinitsway,buttheway’swrong;it’sstupidandclumsy。\"Whentheyweregotsofarfromthehotelastocommandaprospectofitsungainlymasssprawledupontheplateau,hissmoulderingdisgustburstout:\"Lookatit!Didyoueverseeanythinglikeit?Iwishthedamnedthingwouldburnup——ordown!\"
WestoverwasawareinmorewaysthanoneofJeff’sexclusionfromauthorityintheplace,wherehewasconstantlysetasidefromthemanagementasifhisfutureweresodefinitelydedicatedtoanothercallingthatnotevenhisadvicewasdesiredorpermitted;andhecouldnothelpsympathizingalittlewithhimwhenhechafedathisrejection。
Hesawagreatdealofhim,andhethoughthimquiteuptotheaverageofHarvard’sSeniorsinsomeessentials。Hehadbeensobered,apparently,byexperience;hisunfortunatelove—affairseemedtohaveimprovedhim,asthephraseis。
Theyhadsomelongwalksandlongtalkstogether,andinoneofthemJeffopenedhismind,ifnothisheart,tothepainter。HewantedtobetheLandlordoftheLion’sHead,whichhebelievedhecouldmakethebesthotelinthemountains。Heknew,ofcourse,thathecouldnothopetomakeanychangesthatdidnotsuithismotherandhisbrother,aslongastheyhadthecontrol,buthethoughttheywouldlethimhavethecontrolsoonerifhismothercouldonlybegottogiveupthenotionofhisbeingalawyer。Asnearlyashecouldguess,shewantedhimtobealawyerbecauseshedidnotwanthimtobeahotel—keeper,andherprejudiceagainstthatwasbecauseshebelievedthatsellingliquormadeherfatheradrunkard。
\"Well,nowyouknowenoughaboutme,Mr。Westover,toknowthatdrinkisn’tmydanger。\"
\"Yes,IthinkIdo,\"saidWestover。
\"IwentalittlewildinmyFreshmanyear,andIgotintothatscrape,butI’veneverbeentheworseforliquorsince;factis,Inevertouchitnow。Thereisn’tanymorereasonwhyIshouldtaketodrinkbecauseI
keepahotelthanJackson;butjustthatonetimehassetmotheragainstit,andIcan’tseemtomakeherunderstandthatonceisenoughforme。
Why,Ishouldkeepatemperancehouse,here,ofcourse;youcan’tdoanythingelseinthesedays。IfIwaslefttochoosebetweenhotel—
keepingandanyotherlifethatIknowof,I’dchooseiteverytime,\"
Jeffwenton,afteramomentofsilence。\"Ilikeahotel。Youcanbeyourownmanfromthestart;thestart’smadehere,andI’vehelpedtomakeit。Allyou’vegottodoistohavecommon—senseinthehotelbusiness,andyou’resuretosucceed。IbelieveI’vegotcommon—sense,andIbelieveI’vegotsomeideasthatIcanworkupintoagreatsuccess。Thereasonthatmostpeoplefailinthehotelbusinessisthattheywastesomuch,andthelandlordthatwastesonhisguestscan’ttreatthemwell。It’sgotsonowthatinthebigcityhousestheycan’tmakeanythingonfeedingpeople,andsotheytrytomakeitupontherooms。Ishouldfeedthemwell——IbelieveIknowhow——andIshouldmakemoneyonmytable,astheydoinEurope。
I’vethoughtagoodmanythingsout;mymindrunsonitallthetime;butI’mnotgoingtoboreyouwithitnow。\"
\"Oh,notatall,\"saidWestover。\"I’dliketoknowwhatyourideasare。\"
Well,sometimeI’lltellyou。Butlookhere,Mr。Westover,Iwishifmothergetstotalkingaboutmewithyouthatyou’dletherknowhowI
feel。Wecan’ttalktogether,sheandI,withoutquarrellingaboutit;
butIguessyoucouldputinawordthatwouldshowherIwasn’tquiteafool。ShethinksI’vegonecrazyfromseeingthewaytheydothingsinEurope;thatI’mconceitedandunpatriotic,andIdon’tknowwhatall。\"
Jefflaughedasifwithaninnerfondnessforhismother’swrong—
headedness。
\"Andwouldyoubewillingtosettledownhereinthecountryfortherestofyourlife,andthrowawayyourHarvardtrainingonhotel—keeping?\"
\"WhatdotheotherfellowsdowiththeirHarvardtrainingwhentheygointobusiness,asnine—tenthsofthemdo?Businessisbusiness,whetheryoukeepahotelorimportdry—goodsormanufacturecottonorrunarailroadorhelpabigtrusttocheatlegally。HarvardhasgottotakeabackseatwhenyougetoutofHarvard。Butyoudon’tsupposethatkeepingasummerhotelwouldmeanlivinginthecountrythewholetime,doyou?That’sthewaymotherdoes,butIshouldn’t。Itisn’tgoodforthehotel,even。IfIhadsuchaplaceasLion’sHead,Ishouldputamanandhisfamilyintoitforthewintertolookafterit,andIshouldgototownmyself——toBostonorNewYork,orImightgotoLondonorParis。They’renotsofaroff,andit’ssoeasytogettothemthatyoucanhardlykeepaway。\"Jefflaughed,andlookedupatWestoverfromthelogwherehesat,whittlingapinestick;Westoversatonthestumpfromwhichtheloghadbeenfelledeightortenyearsbefore。
\"Youaremodern,\"hesaid。
\"That’swhatIshoulddoatfirst。ButIdon’tbelieveIshouldhaveLion’sHeadverylongbeforeIhadanotherhotel——inFlorida,ortheGeorgiauplands,orNorthCarolina,somewhere。Ishouldtakemyhelpbackandforth;itwouldbeaseasytoruntwohotelsasone—easier!
Itwouldkeepmyhandin。Butifyouwanttoknow,I’dratherstickhereinthecountry,yearinandyearout,andrunLion’sHead,thantobealawyerandhangroundtryingtogetacasefornineortenyears。Who’sgoingtosupportme?DoyousupposeIwanttoliveonmothertillI’mforty?Shedon’tthinkofthat。ShethinksIcangorightintocourtandbegindistinguishingmyself,ifIcanfightthepeopleofffromsendingmetoCongress。I’dratherliveinthecountry,anyway。Ithinktown’stheplaceforwinter,ortwo—threemonthsofit,andafterthatI
haven’tgotanyuseforit。Butmother,she’sgotthisold—fashionedambitiontohavemegotoacityandsetupthere。ShethinksthatifI
wasalawyerinBostonIshouldbeatthetopoftheheap。ButIknowbetterthanthat,andsodoyou;andIwantyoutogivehersomelittlehintofhowitreallyis:howittakesfamilyandmoneyandalotofinfluencetogettothetopinanycity。\"