\"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。\"