“The divinest attribute of poetry,” said he, “is that of bringing tears. Let me weep awhile, fellows, and then I’ll give you the last stanza. Last stanza’s the best—”
And in the midst of his critique he went to sleep, thereby breaking his rule adopted in “Dum Vivemus Vigilemus.”
“Is he this way often?” said I to Cornish, as we went down to meet Jim and the bankers.
“Pretty often,” said Cornish. “I don’t know how I’d amuse my evenings if it weren’t for Giddings. He’s too far gone to-night, though, to be entertaining. Gets worse, I think, as the wedding-day approaches. Trying to drown his apprehensions, I suspect. Funny fellow, Giddings. But he’s all right from noon to nine P.M.”
“I think we’ll have to organize a dipsomaniacs’ hospital for our crowd,” said I, “if things keep going on as they are tending now! I didn’t think Giddings was so many kinds of an ass!”
My complainings were cut short by our entrance into the presence of Mr. Elkins and the New England bankers. I asked to be excused from partaking of the refreshments which were served. I had seen and heard enough to spoil my appetite. I was agreeably surprised to find that their independent investigations of conditions in Lattimore had convinced them of the safety of their investments. Really, they said, were it not for the pleasure of meeting us here at our home, they should feel that the time and expense of looking us up were wasted. But, handling, as they did, the moneys of estates and numerous savings accounts, their customers were of a class in whom timidity and nervousness reach their maximum, and they were obliged to keep themselves in position to give assurances as to the safety of their investments from their personal investigations.
Mr. Hinckley, who was with us, assured them that his life as a banker enabled him fully to realize the necessity of their carefulness, which we, for our own parts, were pleased to know existed. We were only too glad to exhibit our books to them, make a complete showing as to our condition generally, and even take them to see each individual piece of property covered by our paper. Mr. Hinckley went with them to their hotel, having proposed enough work in the way of investigation to keep them with us for several months. They were to leave on the evening of the next day.
“But,” said Jim, as we put on our overcoats to go home, “it shows our good will, you see.”
At that moment the steward, with an anxious look, asked Mr. Elkins for a word in private.
“Ask Mr. Barslow if he will kindly step over here,” I heard Jim say; and I joined them at once.