“The most observing. He has wonderful taste.”
“Uh huh.”
“He’s a widower, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was just a mite lonely. Not that he’s thinking of marriage. He values his independence too highly, but he isn’t entirely self-sufficient. He’s something of a child down underneath. All men are. They want to be mothered, particularly when things go wrong.”
“Uh huh.”
“Donald Lam, are you listening to me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well then, make some contribution to the conversation other than that inane grunting.”
“Don’t you want me to agree with you?”
“When a man’s as nice as Mr. Whitewell, you should be able to add something to what I’m saying.”
“I couldn’t. No one could.”