Since the dancing lessons John Hubert had paid several visits to the Hosszu’s.
An accident revealed to him the cause of his attraction. One day, on taking his departure, he left a new yellow glove behind him. He turned back on the stairs, but Sophie was already running after him. When she handed him the glove, her hand felt warm. John Hubert perceived suddenly that Sophie had lovely eyes and that her figure was slender.
After this, his visits to the Hosszu’s became still more frequent. Mrs. Hosszu was knitting with two yard-long wooden needles near the window and never looked up, but if Sophie spoke in whispers to John Hubert she left the room hurriedly. Occasionally, she stayed out for a very long time. Then she opened the door unexpectedly, quietly. And she would look at the girl with a question in her eyes.
“Why does she look like that?” thought John Hubert and felt ill at ease.
That day it was Sophie’s father who came in instead of his wife.
Simon Hosszu was a toothless, red-faced man. One of his eyes watered constantly for which reason he wore a gold earring in his left ear. He spoke of everything quickly, plausibly. He never gave time for thought.
While John Hubert listened to him he quite forgot that the name of old Hosszu had lately been mentioned with suspicion in business circles.
Hosszu owned water mills. The great steam mill did him considerable damage. None the less, he spoke as if the water mills had a great future before them. He got enthusiastic. In confidence he mentioned brilliant strokes of business to be done—timber, plans of lime kilns. A brewery. A paper mill....
“If I had capital, I should become a rich man.”
John Hubert was bewildered by his audacious plans. He loved money, and the idea of presenting plans of his own to his father pleased him. He raised his brows. He tried to retain it all in his memory. On leaving he pressed the hand of Simon Hosszu warmly.