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Fosdick nodded in his turn。 〃Perfectly;〃 he admitted。 〃Well; ask
your questions; and I'll answer them。 After that perhaps I'll ask
some myself。 Go ahead。〃
〃I have gone ahead。 I've asked one already。〃
〃Yes; but it is such a general question。 There may be so many
objections。〃
〃I see。 All right; then I'll ask some: What do the lawyers call
'em?Atlantic? Pacific? I've got itI'll ask some specific
questions。 Here's one。 Do you object to Al personally? To his
character?〃
〃Not at all。 We know nothing about his character。 Very likely he
may be a young saint。〃
〃Well; he ain't; so we'll let that slide。 He's a good boy; though;
so far as I've ever been able to find out。 Is it his looks?
You've never seen him; but your wife has。 Don't she like his
looks?〃
〃She hasn't mentioned his looks to me。〃
〃Is it his money? He hasn't got any of his own。〃
〃We…ell; of course that does count a little bit。 Madeline is our
only child; and naturally we should prefer to have her pick out a
husband with a dollar or so in reserve。〃
〃Um…hm。 Al's twenty…one; Mr。 Fosdick。 When I was twenty…one I had
some put by; but not much。 I presume likely 'twas different with
you; maybe。 Probably you were pretty well fixed。〃
Fosdick laughed aloud。 〃You make a good cross…examiner; Snow;〃 he
observed。 〃As a matter of fact; when I was twenty…one I was
assistant bookkeeper in a New Haven broker's office。 I didn't have
a cent except my salary; and I had that only for the first five
days in the week。〃
〃However; you got married?〃
〃Yes; I did。 More fool I! If I had known anything; I should have
waited five years at least。 I didn't have any one to tell me so。
My father and mother were both dead。〃
〃Think you'd have listened to 'em if they had been alive and had
told you? However; however; that's all to one side。 Well;
Albert's havin' no money to speak of is an objectionand a good
honest one from your point of view。 His prospects here in this
business of mine are fair; and he is doin' better at it than he
was; so he may make a comf'table livin'a comf'table South Harniss
livin'; that isby and by。〃
〃Oh; he is with you; then? Oh; yes; I remember my wife said he
worked in your office。 But she said more about his being some sort
of aa poet; wasn't it?〃
For the first time since the interview began the captain looked ill
at ease and embarrassed。
〃Thunderation!〃 he exclaimed testily; 〃you mustn't pay attention to
that。 He does make up poetry' pieceseron the side; as you
might say; but I keep hopin' all the time he'll grow out of it;
give him time。 It 'ain't his regular job; you mustn't think 'tis。〃
The visitor laughed again。 〃I'm glad of that;〃 he said; 〃both for
your sake and mine。 I judge that you and I; Snow; are in complete
agreement as far as our opinion of poetry and that sort of stuff is
concerned。 Of course I'm not condemning all poetry; you understand。
Longfellow and Tennyson and the regular poets are all right。 You
understand what I'm getting at?〃
〃Sartin。 I used to know 'Down went the R'yal George with all her
crew complete;' and a lot more。 Used to say 'em over to myself
when I first went to sea and stood watch alone nights。 But they
were different; you know; theythey〃
〃Sure! My wifewhy; I give you my word that my own wife and her
set go perfectly daffy over chaps who write stuff that rhymes and
that the papers are printing columns about。 Snow; if this grandson
of yours was a genuine press…touted; women's club poet instead of a
would…bewell; I don't know what might happen。 In that case she
might be as strong FOR this engagement as she is now against it。〃
He paused; seeming a bit ashamed of his own heat。 Captain Zelotes;
however; regarded him with more approval than he had yet shown。
〃It's been my observation that women are likely to get off the
course chasin' false signals like that;〃 he observed。 〃When a man
begins lettin' his hair and his mouth run wild together seems as if
the combination had an attraction for a good many women folks。 Al
keeps his hair cut; though; I'll say that for him;〃 he added。 〃It
curls some; but it ain't long。 I wouldn't have him in the office
if 'twas。〃
〃Well; Mr。 Fosdick;〃 he continued; 〃what other objections are they?
Manners? Family and relations? Education? Any objections along
that line?〃
〃No…o; no; Iwell; I don't know; you see; I don't know much about
the young fellow。〃
〃Perhaps I can help you out。 As to mannerswell; you can judge
them for yourself when you see him。 He seems to be in about every
kind of social doin's there is down here; and he's as much or more
popular with the summer folks than with the year…'rounders。
Education? Well; that's fair to middlin'; as I see it。 He spent
nine or ten years in a mighty expensive boardin' school up in New
York State。〃
〃Did he? What school?〃
The captain gave the name of the school。 Fosdick looked surprised。
〃Humph! That IS a good school;〃 he said。
〃Is it? Depends on what you call good; I cal'late。 Al learned a
good deal of this and that; a little bit of foreign language; some
that they call dead and some that ought to be deadand buried;
'cordin' to my notion。 When he came to me he couldn't add up a
column of ten figgers without makin' a mistake; and as for
businesswell; what he knew about business was about equal to what
Noah knew about a gas engine。〃
He paused to chuckle; and Fosdick chuckled with him。
〃As to family;〃 went on Captain Lote; 〃he's a Snow on his mother's
side; and there's been seven generations of Snow's in this part of
the Cape since the first one landed here。 So far as I know;
they've all managed to keep out of jail; which may have been more
good luck than deservin' in some cases。〃
〃His father?〃 queried Fosdick。
The captain's heavy brows drew together。 〃His father was a
Portygeeor Spaniard; I believe is rightand he was a play…actor;
one of thosewhat do you call 'em?opera singers。〃
Fosdick seemed surprised and interested。 〃Oh; indeed;〃 he
exclaimed; 〃an opera singer? 。 。 。 Why; he wasn't Speranza; the
baritone; was he?〃
〃Maybe; I believe he was。 He married my daughter andwell; we
won't talk about him; if you don't mind。〃
〃But Speranza was a〃
〃IF you don't mind; Mr。 Fosdick。〃
Captain Lote lapsed into silence; drumming the desk with his big
fingers。 His visitor waited for a few moments。 At length he said:
〃Well; Captain Snow; I have answered your questions and you have
answered mine。 Do you think we are any nearer an agreement now?〃
Captain Zelotes seemed to awake with a start。 〃Eh?〃 he queried。
〃Agreement? Oh; I don't know。 Did you find anyerwhat you
might call vital objections in the boy's record?〃
〃No…o。 No; all that is all right。 His family and his education
and all the rest are good enough; I'm sure。 But; nevertheless〃
〃You still object to the young folks gettin' married。〃
〃Yes; I do。 Hang it all; Snow; this isn't a thing one can reason
out; exactly。 Madeline is our only child; she is our pet; our
baby。 Naturally her mother and I have planned for her; hoped for
her; figured that some day; when we had to give her up; it would
be toto〃
〃To somebody that wasn't Albert Speranza of South Harniss;
Mass。 。 。 。 Eh?〃
〃Yes。 Not that your grandson isn't all right。 I have no doubt he
is a tip…top young fellow。 But; you see〃
Captain Lote suddenly leaned forward。 〃Course I see; Mr。 Fosdick;〃
he interrupted。 〃Course I see。 You object; and the objection
ain't a mite weaker on account of your not bein' able to say
exactly what 'tis。〃
〃That's the idea。 Thank you; Captain。〃
〃You're welcome。 I can understand。 I know just how you feel;
because I've been feelin' the same way myself。〃
〃Oh; you have? Good! Then you can sympathize with Mrs。 Fosdick
and with me。 You seeyou understand why we had rather our
daughter did not marry your grandson。〃
〃Sartin。 You see; I've had just the same sort of general kind of
objection to Al's marryin' your daughter。〃
Mr。 Fletcher Fosdick leaned slowly backward in his chair。 His
appearance was suggestive of one who has received an unexpected
thump between the eyes。
〃Oh; you have!〃 he said again; but not with the same expression。
〃Um…hm;〃 said Captain Zelotes gravely。 〃I'm like you in one way;
I've never met your Madeline any more than you have met Al。 I've
seen her once or twice; and she is real pretty and nice…lookin'。
But I don't know her at all。 Now I don't doubt for a minute but
that she's a real nice girl and it might be that she'd make Al a
fairly good wife。〃
〃Erwell;thanks。〃
〃Oh; that's all right; I mean it。 It might be she would。 And I
ain't got a thing against you or your folks。〃
〃Humph;erthanks again。〃
〃That's all right; you don't need to thank me。 But it's this way
with meI live in South Harniss all the year round。 I want to
live here till I die; andafter I die I'd like first…rate to have
Al take up the Z。 Snow and Co。 business and the Snow house and land
and keep them goin' till HE dies。 Mind; I ain't at all sure that
he'll do it; or be capable of doin' it; but that's what I'd like。
Now you're in New York mo