“Oh, but Mrs. North is far beyond middle age,” said Cyrus, earnestly.
Dr. Lavendar shook his head. “Well, well!” he said. “To think that Alfred Price should have such a—And yet he is as sensible a man as I know!”
“Until now,” Cyrus amended. “But Gussie thought you'd better caution him. We don't want him, at his time of life, to make a mistake.”
“It's much more to the point that I should caution you not to make a mistake,” said Dr. Lavendar; and then he rapped on the table again, sharply. “The Captain has no such idea—unless Gussie has given it to him. Cyrus, my advice to you is to go home and tell your wife not to be a goose. I'll tell her, if you want me to?”
“Oh no, no!” said Cyrus, very much frightened. “I'm afraid you'd hurt her feelings.”
“I'm afraid I should,” said Dr. Lavendar.
He was so plainly out of temper that Cyrus finally slunk off, uncomforted and afraid to meet Gussie's eye, even under its bandage of a cologne-scented handkerchief.
However, he had to meet it, and he tried to make the best of his own humiliation by saying that Dr. Lavendar was shocked at such an idea. “He said father had always been so sensible; he didn't believe he would think of such a dreadful thing. And neither do I, Gussie, honestly,” Cyrus said.
“But Mrs. North isn't sensible,” Gussie protested, “and she'll—”
“Dr. Lavendar said 'there was no fool like a middle-aged fool,'” Cyrus agreed.