said, "No doubt that is generally true." She coughed, and maintained a
personable smile. After a bit, Esther muttered, "Well, is he going to be helping us, now?
What's he standing about for?"
Finally, he said, "Miss Mayfield. I hope you will feel at liberty to borrow more
books from our family library. I can recommend two in particular. One is one I have been
reading myself and have now finished, entitled Visits to High Tartary, Yarkand and
Kashgar , by Mr. Shaw. It has very nice drawings of Central Asia. I've set it out for you.
And another is Dracula , by Mr. Bram Stoker, who is a friend of my brother in England.
He runs a theater, and is a very able man. You enjoyed Mr. Holmes?"
She stopped pushing her paddle. "Yes, I did."
"Mr. Stoker is rather more daring than Mr. Conan Doyle, both in his formulation
of the story and in his sensational effects. Good day." He tipped his hat and walked on.
Esther looked after him, then said, "You may say what you like, that he's a genius
and all, but if I am asked, I will say that he's a strange one."
"But harmless, I'm sure," said Lavinia, with a glance at Margaret.
Margaret herself said, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to know things."
"Certainly not," said Lavinia. "The Mayfields have always been interested in
knowing things. A man with some ambition, like your father, is much more eligible than
a man who is content with what he has already."
It was perfectly clear to Margaret that Lavinia had made up her mind that Captain
Early was not only an excellent prospect, but also a promising one. That he was neither
attentive nor comfortable she put down to his eccentric education and his universealtering occupation. Every so often, she would make some unexpected remark that
indicated to Margaret that she was saying much less than she was thinking--one of these
was "When all is said and done, my dear, a busy man leaves his wife considerable leeway
to follow her own impulses." Another one was "I always thought a masculine presence in
the house had a warming effect." Another: "Look at Robert! Not the most promising
specimen at first, but thriving now."
Margaret began to have a fated feeling, as if accumulating experiences were
precipitating her toward an already decided future. Once, shortly before Christmas, there
was both a heavy snowfall and a long freeze, and Margaret took Lawrence to ice-skate.
That fall, she had the boys with her quite often, because Beatrice was again with child
and not feeling well ("The sure sign of a girl," said Lavinia). Everyone in town younger
than sixty congregated on the ice, which was in a low-lying lot south of the town square
and not far from the hotel. She saw Captain Early as soon as he arrived, and well before
he saw her guiding Lawrence with two hands along the edge of the ice. She watched as
Captain Early strapped on his skates, which made him even taller, and affixed his top hat
more firmly on his head (still taller), and sailed among the other skaters like a schooner
among sloops (she had yet to see, except in pictures, either a schooner or a sloop, but they
were naval, he was naval--it was a good comparison). And then she felt a sort of pleasing
dread as he skated toward her. He took off his hat, and his smile was as big as she had
ever seen it. In order not to glare, she kept her gaze on Lawrence until she had made her
own face welcoming. He said, "All factions foregather upon the glazed surface."
"You've
returned."
"Time has stopped, indeed, Miss Mayfield."
She said, "Pardon me?"
"I was assaying a little joke. My responsibilities in Washington have to do with
ascertaining the exact time, for naval purposes, by measuring the progress of the stars.
While I am here, therefore--"
They smiled together. She said, "This is my nephew Lawrence. He's doing quite
well today."
Captain Early clapped his hat back on his head and seemed to collapse, but in fact
he was only squatting down to speak
personable smile. After a bit, Esther muttered, "Well, is he going to be helping us, now?
What's he standing about for?"
Finally, he said, "Miss Mayfield. I hope you will feel at liberty to borrow more
books from our family library. I can recommend two in particular. One is one I have been
reading myself and have now finished, entitled Visits to High Tartary, Yarkand and
Kashgar , by Mr. Shaw. It has very nice drawings of Central Asia. I've set it out for you.
And another is Dracula , by Mr. Bram Stoker, who is a friend of my brother in England.
He runs a theater, and is a very able man. You enjoyed Mr. Holmes?"
She stopped pushing her paddle. "Yes, I did."
"Mr. Stoker is rather more daring than Mr. Conan Doyle, both in his formulation
of the story and in his sensational effects. Good day." He tipped his hat and walked on.
Esther looked after him, then said, "You may say what you like, that he's a genius
and all, but if I am asked, I will say that he's a strange one."
"But harmless, I'm sure," said Lavinia, with a glance at Margaret.
Margaret herself said, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to know things."
"Certainly not," said Lavinia. "The Mayfields have always been interested in
knowing things. A man with some ambition, like your father, is much more eligible than
a man who is content with what he has already."
It was perfectly clear to Margaret that Lavinia had made up her mind that Captain
Early was not only an excellent prospect, but also a promising one. That he was neither
attentive nor comfortable she put down to his eccentric education and his universealtering occupation. Every so often, she would make some unexpected remark that
indicated to Margaret that she was saying much less than she was thinking--one of these
was "When all is said and done, my dear, a busy man leaves his wife considerable leeway
to follow her own impulses." Another one was "I always thought a masculine presence in
the house had a warming effect." Another: "Look at Robert! Not the most promising
specimen at first, but thriving now."
Margaret began to have a fated feeling, as if accumulating experiences were
precipitating her toward an already decided future. Once, shortly before Christmas, there
was both a heavy snowfall and a long freeze, and Margaret took Lawrence to ice-skate.
That fall, she had the boys with her quite often, because Beatrice was again with child
and not feeling well ("The sure sign of a girl," said Lavinia). Everyone in town younger
than sixty congregated on the ice, which was in a low-lying lot south of the town square
and not far from the hotel. She saw Captain Early as soon as he arrived, and well before
he saw her guiding Lawrence with two hands along the edge of the ice. She watched as
Captain Early strapped on his skates, which made him even taller, and affixed his top hat
more firmly on his head (still taller), and sailed among the other skaters like a schooner
among sloops (she had yet to see, except in pictures, either a schooner or a sloop, but they
were naval, he was naval--it was a good comparison). And then she felt a sort of pleasing
dread as he skated toward her. He took off his hat, and his smile was as big as she had
ever seen it. In order not to glare, she kept her gaze on Lawrence until she had made her
own face welcoming. He said, "All factions foregather upon the glazed surface."
"You've
returned."
"Time has stopped, indeed, Miss Mayfield."
She said, "Pardon me?"
"I was assaying a little joke. My responsibilities in Washington have to do with
ascertaining the exact time, for naval purposes, by measuring the progress of the stars.
While I am here, therefore--"
They smiled together. She said, "This is my nephew Lawrence. He's doing quite
well today."
Captain Early clapped his hat back on his head and seemed to collapse, but in fact
he was only squatting down to speak
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