Chapter 42. Molybdenum
Having caught a pike and skinned it, Marvin carried the pearly residue up to Miss Mabel. Then he lingered a little with the old gunsmith, talking about guns and the new alloys of steel. He spoke of meeting Ojeeg, and learned that the chief was usually called Nick.
When he reached home, the doctor took him by the hand. “My son, you gave us a very great pleasure this afternoon. Jean is in the kitchen all ready to cook your beefsteak.”
He went on out to the kitchen to be purified of the lingering pike. She led him at once to the storeroom, and pointed out a fine display of stuff, including green peas and a whitefish.
“Wasn’t he wonderful?”
“Who?”
“The Little Pine. See this love-letter tied to the bottle of olive oil. It calls me heart-berries and bee-maple-syrup, in other words strawberries and honey.”
Marvin sighed with envy and held out his hand. She began his ablution and confided more misinformation.
“He must have met Mr. Gillies, who was on the lookout for somebody going up. And when Mr. Gillies handed him the money he handed it right back. That made Mr. Gillies remember the potatoes.”
At supper he made no reference to the adventures of the afternoon, and nobody made a reference to those of the morning. Evidently the doctor had not heard about the cave. Yet there seemed to be plenty of things to talk about, and even after the dishes were washed they all lingered a while by the fireside. Gradually silence descended on them—not sullen silence or indifferent silence, but the silence of a happy family wholesomely tired out.