Three years had passed since Robert Budd had forbidden Lanny to talk with his Uncle Jesse Blackless, and during that period the painter had come perhaps half a dozen times to call upon his sister. When Lanny happened to encounter him, the boy said a polite “How do you do, Uncle Jesse?” and then betook himself elsewhere. He had no reason to be particularly interested in this rather odd-looking relative, and never thought about him except when he showed up. There were so many worthwhile things in the world that Lanny did no more than wonder vaguely what might be so shocking and dangerous about his uncle's ideas.
Jesse and Marcel knew each other. Marcel didn't think much of Jesse as a painter, but they had friends in common, and both were interested in what was going on in the art world. So now when the older man came he went down to Marcel's studio and sat for a while, and Lanny went fishing or swimming.
Did Robbie's prohibition against his son's talking with Uncle Jesse include also talking about him? It was a subtle point of law, which Lanny would have asked Robbie about if it had been possible. On one occasion, after Jesse had called, the stepfather remarked: “Your uncle and your father ought to meet each other now. They could get along much better.”
Lanny had to say something, so he asked: “How come?”
“They feel the same way about the war. Jesse can't see any difference at all between French and Germans.”
“I don't think that's exactly true of Robbie,” said the boy, hesitatingly — for he didn't like to talk about his father in this connection. He added: “I've never understood my uncle's ideas, but I know how Robbie despises them.”
“It's a case of extremes meeting, I suppose,” remarked the other. “Jesse is an out-and-out revolutionist. He blames all the trouble on big financiers trying to grab colonies and trade. He says they use the governments for their own purposes; they start wars when they want something, and stop them when they've got it.”
“Well, it looks like this one might have run away with them,” commented the boy.
“Jesse says not so,” replied the other. “He thinks the British oil men want Mesopotamia, and they've promised Constantinople to Russia, and Syria to France. Also they want to sink the German fleet. After that their oil will be safe, and they'll make peace.”
“Do you believe anything like that, Marcel?”