“I have, and I agree with her. Would you like me to be chummy with a naked cannibal with a ring in his nose?”
“But Enfandin doesnt wear a ring in his nose, and you must have seen he was fully dressed. Maybe he eats missionaries in secret, but that couldnt offend Mrs Smythe since appearances would be saved.”
“I’m serious, Hodge.”
“So am I. Enfandin is my only friend.”
“You may be above appearances and considerations of decency but I’m not. If you ever appear in public with him again you can stop coming here. Because I won’t have anything more to do with you.”
“But Tirzah ...” I began helplessly, overwhelmed by the impossibility of coping with the irrelevancies and inconsistencies of her stand. “But Tirzah....”
“No,” she said firmly; “you’ll simply have to grow up, Hodge, and stop such childish exhibitions. Only friend indeed! Why I suppose if he appeared here right this minute, you’d talk to him.”
“Well naturally. You’d hardly expect me to—” “But I do. That’s exactly what I’d expect. You to act like a civilized man.”
I wasnt angry. I couldnt be angry with her. “If that’s civilization then I guess I don’t want to be civilized.”
I detected astonishment in her voice. “You mean, actually mean, you intend to keep on acting this way?”