"Who is Sophia?"
"She is Captain Runacles' only daughter, and lives on the other side of our hedge."
"My dear lad, why did you not tell me this? Detain you! No. You shall fly on the wings of the wind. We will set out this very afternoon on the swiftest horses this inn can furnish."
Tristram winced. "There are limits even to a lover's zeal," he murmured.
"No, no. Ah, my boy!—I too have been in love—I can find the key to your feelings by searching my memory. May you be happier than I!"
He passed the back of his hand across his eyes and continued more cheerfully, hilariously almost:
"But away with an old man's memories! I was young then, and ardent as you. Nay, as I look upon you I see my very self reflected across a score of sorrowful years. We are extraordinarily alike, Tristram. Stand up and measure with me, back to back."
They did so. The Captain found himself the taller by a mere shade.
"It is the wig," he said. "Come, twist up your natural hair and let me see you in this wig."
Tristram obeyed, and his father fell back in astonishment. "It is extraordinary!"