the old man in this mood—to all appearances approving to the point of paying compliments, then, having lulled his opponent to complacency, he would begin to criticize, constructively at first, but by the end he would have destroyed everything. Mark had seen the method applied many times both to men and to women and had appreciated the shrewdness of it. But now that he was almost certainly going to be on the receiving end, he wondered just how he would make out. It would all depend on just how valuable the old man felt him to be.
'Of course as you know, Mark, I had hoped—'
Leaving his sentence unfinished, Mr Cosgrave selected another cigar, prepared and lit it before going on slowly: 'I had hoped that you and Evadne might make a match of it—' he paused again, cocking an enquiring eye at 'Mark.
Mark shook his head.
'With Evadne's beauty and brains, she really should look higher than an ordinary bloke like me,' he said diplomatically.
A muscle twitched at the corner of Simon Cosgrave's mouth. He fully appreciated the skill with which Mark had got himself out of that particular pitfall, but he hadn't finished with him yet.
'Your modesty does you credit, Mark,' he said dryly. 'Your future—well, we won't go into that just now. But since, as I'm sure we both hope, your future and mine will be closely linked, do you think it unreasonable of me to be concerned about your prospective marriage?'
'Not in the least, sir,' Mark said equably. He had expected this one! But after all, what objections could anyone raise about Lisa? She was sweet and pretty, her background was good—
Mr Cosgrave gazed thoughtfully at the column of smoke that rose from the cigar he held in his hand.
'A man who marries the wrong sort of girl has got a millstone round his neck! And I know what I'm talking about. Mind you, I'm not saying I blame Violet for not having moved with the times—moved with
me
. That's the way she's made—limited in her outlook, set in her ways. No, I blame myself. I should have realized—oh well, it's too late to talk about that now— but my experience has taught me just how important it is for a young man like you to make the right choice. And so, when I take a particular interest in a young man, as I do in you, my boy, then I get just a bit anxious. Of course, you probably feel it's no business of mine—'
'No, no, sir! It's very good of you. I appreciate your interest very much!' Mark assured him earnestly.
'It
is
interest. Very real interest,' Mr Cosgrave told him solemnly. 'And I'm very glad you realize that, because it encourages me to make a suggestion. Knowing you as well as I do, Mark, I'm quite sure you've chosen wisely and that this little girl of yours is the right sort. None the less, you haven't known each other very long—'
'That's perfectly true,' Mark interrupted blandly. 'And it's a point of view that we realize, Lisa and I, may be held by other people than yourself. To be frank, we thought there might be opposition from Professor and Mrs Bellairs on just those grounds, and so, though Lisa and I consider ourselves to be engaged, we don't intend to make any public announcement to that effect for another two months. Nor do we plan to get married until the summer of next year. They—Lisa's parents—found that reassuring. I hope you do too, sir?'
He knew perfectly well that he'd cut the ground from under the old man's feet just as he had where Lisa's parents were concerned, but he was less sure of the result here. Simon might take it that he'd been told, in effect, to mind his own business because Mark was quite capable of managing his own affairs. Mentally, he crossed his fingers. He need not have worried.
Mr Cosgrave stood up, smiled, and offered his hand.
'Excellent, my boy, excellent! Just what I would have suggested myself! And first class that the idea should have come from you two instead of old busy-bodies like the Bellairs and myself! We'll all have time to get to know one another—you
'Of course as you know, Mark, I had hoped—'
Leaving his sentence unfinished, Mr Cosgrave selected another cigar, prepared and lit it before going on slowly: 'I had hoped that you and Evadne might make a match of it—' he paused again, cocking an enquiring eye at 'Mark.
Mark shook his head.
'With Evadne's beauty and brains, she really should look higher than an ordinary bloke like me,' he said diplomatically.
A muscle twitched at the corner of Simon Cosgrave's mouth. He fully appreciated the skill with which Mark had got himself out of that particular pitfall, but he hadn't finished with him yet.
'Your modesty does you credit, Mark,' he said dryly. 'Your future—well, we won't go into that just now. But since, as I'm sure we both hope, your future and mine will be closely linked, do you think it unreasonable of me to be concerned about your prospective marriage?'
'Not in the least, sir,' Mark said equably. He had expected this one! But after all, what objections could anyone raise about Lisa? She was sweet and pretty, her background was good—
Mr Cosgrave gazed thoughtfully at the column of smoke that rose from the cigar he held in his hand.
'A man who marries the wrong sort of girl has got a millstone round his neck! And I know what I'm talking about. Mind you, I'm not saying I blame Violet for not having moved with the times—moved with
me
. That's the way she's made—limited in her outlook, set in her ways. No, I blame myself. I should have realized—oh well, it's too late to talk about that now— but my experience has taught me just how important it is for a young man like you to make the right choice. And so, when I take a particular interest in a young man, as I do in you, my boy, then I get just a bit anxious. Of course, you probably feel it's no business of mine—'
'No, no, sir! It's very good of you. I appreciate your interest very much!' Mark assured him earnestly.
'It
is
interest. Very real interest,' Mr Cosgrave told him solemnly. 'And I'm very glad you realize that, because it encourages me to make a suggestion. Knowing you as well as I do, Mark, I'm quite sure you've chosen wisely and that this little girl of yours is the right sort. None the less, you haven't known each other very long—'
'That's perfectly true,' Mark interrupted blandly. 'And it's a point of view that we realize, Lisa and I, may be held by other people than yourself. To be frank, we thought there might be opposition from Professor and Mrs Bellairs on just those grounds, and so, though Lisa and I consider ourselves to be engaged, we don't intend to make any public announcement to that effect for another two months. Nor do we plan to get married until the summer of next year. They—Lisa's parents—found that reassuring. I hope you do too, sir?'
He knew perfectly well that he'd cut the ground from under the old man's feet just as he had where Lisa's parents were concerned, but he was less sure of the result here. Simon might take it that he'd been told, in effect, to mind his own business because Mark was quite capable of managing his own affairs. Mentally, he crossed his fingers. He need not have worried.
Mr Cosgrave stood up, smiled, and offered his hand.
'Excellent, my boy, excellent! Just what I would have suggested myself! And first class that the idea should have come from you two instead of old busy-bodies like the Bellairs and myself! We'll all have time to get to know one another—you
Similar Books
