He had identified Mr. Dale's interest with his own anxiety, and looked wistfully at the older man, who seemed sunk in thought and quite forgetful of his presence. Mr. Denner put one hand to his lips and gave a little cough. Then he said:—
"One would think there would be a rule about such things, some acknowledged method; a proverb, for instance; it would simplify matters very much."
"True," said Mr. Dale.
"Yes," Mr. Denner added, "you would think in such a general thing as marriage there would be. Complications like this must constantly arise. What if Miss Deborah and Miss Ruth had another sister? Just see how confused a man might be. Yes, one would suppose the wisdom of experience would take the form of an axiom. But it hasn't."
He sighed deeply, and rose, for it was late, and the little fire had burned out.
Mr. Dale bent forward, with his elbows on his lean knees, and gently knocked the ashes from his silver pipe. Then he got up, and, standing with his back to the cold grate, and the tails of his flowered dressing-gown under each arm in a comfortable way, he looked at the lawyer, with his head a little on one side, as though he were about to speak. Mr. Denner noticed it.
"Ah, you cannot make any suggestion, Henry?"
"Well," said Mr. Dale, "it seems to me I had a thought—a sort of a proverb, you might say—but it slips my memory."
Mr. Denner, with his overcoat half on, stood quite still, and trembled.
"It is something about how to make up your mind," Mr. Dale continued, very slowly; "let me see."