“Well,” he said, “I’m glad to hear that I’m right. I hoped I might meet you here. It’s a great pleasure to know you, Mrs. Pentland. My name is Gavin.... I’m by way of being a friend of Michael O’Hara.”
“Oh!” said Olivia. “How do you do?”
“You’re not in a great hurry, I hope?” he asked. “I’d like to have a word or two with you.”
“No, I’m not in a great hurry.”
It was impossible to imagine what this fussy little man, standing in the middle of the road, bowing and smiling, could have to say to her.
Still holding his hat in his hand, he tossed away the end of his cigar and said, “It’s about a very delicate matter, Mrs. Pentland. It has to do with Mr. O’Hara’s campaign. I suppose you know about that. You’re a friend of his, I believe?”
“Why, yes,” she said coldly. “We ride together.”
He coughed and, clearly ill at ease, set off on a tangent from the main subject. “You see, I’m a great friend of his. In fact, we grew up together ... lived in the same ward and fought together as boys. You mightn’t think it to see us together ... because he’s such a clever one. He’s made for big things and I’m not.... I’m ... I’m just plain John Gavin. But we’re friends, all the same, just the same as ever ... just as if he wasn’t a big man. That’s one thing about Michael. He never goes back on his old friends, no matter how great he gets to be.”
A light of adoration shone in the blue eyes of the little man. It was, Olivia thought, as if he were speaking of God; only clearly he thought of Michael O’Hara as greater than God. If Michael affected men like this, it was easy to see why he was so successful.
The little man kept interrupting himself with apologies. “I shan’t keep you long, Mrs. Pentland ... only a moment. You see I thought it was better if I saw you here instead of coming to the house.” Suddenly screwing up his shiny face, he became intensely serious. “It’s like this, Mrs. Pentland.... I know you’re a good friend of his and you wish him well. You want to see him get elected ... even though you people out here don’t hold much with the Democratic party.”