But Morton had flunked his entrance
examinations at Yale and afterward succeeded in passing the Cornell
tests. House had gone to Cornell to be with his friend, an early
indication of a capacity for self-effacement, for attachment to the
nearest great man at hand who could take him behind the scenes.
The mystery of Colonel House is that he has been possessed all his
life, almost passionately, with that instinct which makes boys run
to fires. His fastening upon the favorably placed, whether it was
Morton in his youth, or Wilson in his maturity, was not ordinary
self-seeking, not having for its object riches or power or
influence. It was merely desire to see for the pure love of seeing.
His is a boundless curiosity about both men and events. His eyes
are the clue to his character. Boardman Robinson, with the
caricaturist's gift for catching that feature which exhibits
character, said to me one day during the War, "I just passed
Colonel House on the street. The most wonderful seeing eyes I ever
saw!"
Nature had made Colonel House all eyes--trivial in figure,
undistinguished, slightly ludicrous, almost shambling, shrinking
under observation so that he gained a reputation for mystery, with
only one feature to catch your attention, a most amazingly fine
pair of eyes. It was as if nature had concentrated on those eyes,
treating all the puny rest of him with careless indifference.
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