Mrs. Penniman was slightly embarrassed, for she had not told her
niece of her intended expedition. "Not exactly a message," she said;
"I didn't ask her for one, because I was afraid to--to excite her."
"I am afraid she is not very excitable!" And Morris gave a smile of
some bitterness.
"She is better than that. She is steadfast--she is true!"
"Do you think she will hold fast, then?"
"To the death!"
"Oh, I hope it won't come to that," said Morris.
"We must be prepared for the worst, and that is what I wish to speak
to you about."
"What do you call the worst?"
"Well," said Mrs. Penniman, "my brother's hard, intellectual nature."
"Oh, the devil!"
"He is impervious to pity," Mrs. Penniman added, by way of
explanation.
"Do you mean that he won't come round?"
"He will never be vanquished by argument. I have studied him. He
will be vanquished only by the accomplished fact."
"The accomplished fact?"
"He will come round afterwards," said Mrs. Penniman, with extreme
significance. "He cares for nothing but facts; he must be met by
facts!"
"Well," rejoined Morris, "it is a fact that I wish to marry his
daughter. I met him with that the other day, but he was not at all
vanquished."
Mrs. Penniman was silent a little, and her smile beneath the shadow
of her capacious bonnet, on the edge of which her black veil was
arranged curtain-wise, fixed itself upon Morris's face with a still
more tender brilliancy.
Pages:
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128