“No, I didn’t know.... I guessed,” said his father.
Robert seemed about to launch into a fuller description of Miss Groves, then stopped, glancing suspiciously at William. But William was intent upon his own thoughts. Noticing a slight lull in the conversation he rose again hopefully to the attack.
“This man,” he said, “you’d find him awful useful——”
“What man, William?” groaned his mother.
“This man what I keep tellin’ you about,” said William patiently. “It seems to me sort of silly to wait till you get a car to get a man to drive it. I think the best thing is to get this man at once an’ then when we get the car there he is all ready to drive it for us at once ’stead of havin’ to waste the car while we start lookin’ round for a man to drive it and——”
“The lunatic asylums of the country,” remarked Mr. Brown, “must be full of men who’ve had sons like William.”
William looked at him hopefully.
“If you do feel like that, father,” he said, “I know that this man——”
“Oh, shut up,” said Robert again.
“Yes,” said William bitterly, “what I’d like to know is why you can go on talkin’ an’ talkin’ an’ talkin’ an’ talkin’ about girls an’ the minute I start talkin’ about this man——”