“Never mind. They have to be p’lite, I s’pose. My grandmother says ’at folks who live in high stations, like you do, owes great ’sponsibilities to s’ciety an’ its demandings.”
“Your grandmother is an oracle! She’s making you one. But draw up that other chair and hear me grumble; it does me good to express myself to somebody. My wife says that I cannot keep anything, save clients’ business, to myself. Hm-m. What do you think of that?”
“I s’pose she knows, prob’ly. But am I to have no lessons?”
“No. Not unless you are suffering to rattle off: ‘I have been, thou hast been or you have been, he has been,’—and all the rest of it. Seems to me I heard you say, yesterday, that you thought grammar was not very ‘exciting,’ eh?”
“Oh! no, sir, it isn’t! And if I could have a holiday, maybe Diablo could have another waltzing lesson, couldn’t he? He’s such a graceful, teachable horse, I love him!”
“So do I, thanks to your wise interpretation of his character. But Diablo isn’t in today’s programme. And I’m greatly disturbed, absurdly disturbed, for such a foolish cause. However, I cannot help it, cannot throw it off.”
“Can I help it? I wish I could! What is the thing ’at disturbs you?”
“The afternoon’s race.”
“Why—what? I thought everything was all fixed. I hope it isn’t given up, is it?”
“Not yet. Nor do I like to postpone it; but—There comes John with a telegram. I hope a favorable one.”