But dam’ practical.”
“Have you ever thought that if I did marry—Lenore, say—and I’ll honestly confess I’ve done some thinking about it—maybe she’d dislike being a mere brood mare plus a convenient dodge?”
“Lenore,” said his mother, “can be handled.”
“That’s just what she can’t be. Since you seem so sure, I’ll tell you this much more. I don’t believe she’d accept me.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Have you asked her?”
“More or less—and in a way.”
“That sounds,” his mother answered, “like one hell of a halfhearted proposal!”
“Wasn’t a proposal. Just an inquiry. I said a few days back, maybe a couple of weeks, what if I asked her to marry me?”