Inside, the vaulted stone hallway opened up like a cathedral. They were embarrassed by the footmen, awed by the automatic elevator, oppressed by a hallway full of vellum folios and Italian chests and a drawing-room full of water-colors, and reduced to rusticity by Capitola’s queenly white satin and pearls.
There were eight or ten Persons of Importance, male and female, looking insignificant but bearing names as familiar as Ivory Soap.
Did one give his arm to some unknown lady and “take her in,” Martin wondered. He rejoiced to find that one merely straggled into the dining-room under McGurk’s amiable basso herding.
The dining-room was gorgeous and very hideous, in stamped leather and hysterias of gold, with collections of servants watching one’s use of asparagus forks. Martin was seated (it is doubtful if he ever knew that he was the guest of honor) between Capitola McGurk and a woman of whom he could learn only that she was the sister of a countess.
Capitola leaned toward him in her great white splendor.
“Now, Dr. Arrowsmith, just what is this you are discovering?”
“Why, it’s—uh— I’m trying to figure—”
“Dr. Tubbs tells us that you have found such wonderful new ways of controlling disease.” Her L’s were a melody of summer rivers, her R’s the trill of birds in the brake. “Oh, what—what could be more beau-tiful than relieving this sad old world of its burden of illness! But just precisely what is it that you’re doing?”
“Why, it’s awfully early to be sure but— You see, it’s like this. You take certain bugs like staph—”
“Oh, how interesting science is, but how frightfully difficult for simple people like me to grasp! But we’re all so humble. We’re just waiting for scientists like you to make the world secure for friendship—”