“What of it? She loves to read, and I guide her while she keeps me up on the latest stuff. She can talk much better than many of my friends and then she piques my curiosity: she’s a sort of intellectual sauce that stirs my rapidly failing mental appetite. I think that as soon as I can make up my mind to spare her, I’ll take her to France and marry her off in the colonies.”
“Well, that’s possible; but one doesn’t easily give up good servants. By the way, I learn from Miss Smith that the boy, Bles Alwyn, in whom Zora was so interested, is a clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington.”
‚ÄúIndeed! I‚Äôm going to Washington this winter; I‚Äôll look him over and see if he‚Äôs worth Zora‚ÅÝ‚Äîwhich I greatly doubt.‚Äù
Mrs. ¬ÝCresswell pursed her lips and changed the subject.
“Have you seen the Easterlys?”
‚ÄúThe ladies left their cards‚ÅÝ‚Äîthey are quite impossible. Mr. ¬ÝEasterly calls this afternoon. I can‚Äôt imagine why, but he asked for an appointment. Will you go South with Mr. ¬ÝCresswell? I‚Äôm glad to hear he‚Äôs entering politics.‚Äù
‚ÄúNo, I shall do some early house hunting in Washington,‚Äù said Mrs. ¬ÝCresswell, rising as Mr. ¬ÝEasterly was announced.
Mr. ¬ÝEasterly was not at home in Mrs. ¬ÝVanderpool‚Äôs presence. She spoke a language different from his, and she had shown a disconcerting way, in the few times when he had spoken with her, of letting the weight of the conversation rest on him. He felt very distinctly that Mrs. ¬ÝVanderpool was not particularly desirous of his company, nor that of his family. Nevertheless, he needed Mrs. ¬ÝVanderpool‚Äôs influence just now, and he was willing to pay considerable for it. Once