第8章

"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。"