Through stained glass
Page 40
CHAPTER XL
Lewis, walking rapidly toward the flat, was thinking over all that LadyDerl had said and was trying to bring Folly into line with his thoughts.He had never pictured Folly old. He tried now and failed. Folly andyouth were inseparable; Folly _was_ youth. Then he gave up thinking ofFolly. That moment did not belong to her. As once before, the fragranceand the memory of H lne clung to him, held him.
He passed slowly into the room where Leighton sat. He felt a dread lesthis father ask him what it was H lne had said. But he wronged hisfather. Leighton merely glanced up, flashed a look into the eyes of hisson. He saw and knew the light that was there for the light that lingersin the eyes of him who comes from looking upon holy inner places.
For an hour neither spoke, then Leighton said:
"Going out to lunch to-day?"
"No," said Lewis; "I've told Nelton I'd be in."
"About this marriage," said Leighton, smiling. "Let's look on it as asettled thing that there's going to be a marriage. Have you thoughtabout the date and ways and means?"
Lewis flushed.
"Don't misunderstand me," said Leighton. "I might as well tell you thatI've decided to divide my income equally between us, marriage or nomarriage."
"Dad!" cried Lewis, half protesting.
"There, there," said Leighton, "you're not getting from me what youthink. What I mean is that I'm not making any sacrifice. I've lived onhalf my income for some time. You'll need a lump-sum of money besides.Your grandmother left you a big house in Albany. It won't bring much,but I think you'd better sell it. It's on the wrong side of the townnow."
"I'll do whatever you say, Dad," said Lewis.
"I suggest that you fix your marriage for six months from now," went onLeighton. "That will give us time to go over and untangle certainaffairs, including the house, on the other side. It isn't altogether onaccount of the house I want to take you over."
Lewis had winced at six months. Now he looked questioningly at hisfather.
"Keep your eyes open as you go through life," continued Leighton, "andyou'll see that marriage is a great divisor. All the sums of friendshipand relation are cut in two by marriage. You and I, we've been friends,and before I surrender you I think it's only just that I should take youover and introduce you to your inheritance."
"My inheritance?" asked Lewis.
"Yes," said Leighton, "your country."
"You might think," continued Leighton, "that I'm an expatriate.Externally I have been, but never in the heart. I've beenwaiting--waiting for our country to catch up to me. Under certainconditions a man has the right to pick out the stage of civilizationbest adapted to his needs. There are two ways of doing that: either goto it or make it come to you. If you're not tied, it's easier to go toit, because sometimes it takes more than a generation to make it come toyou."
"So you've gone to it," said Lewis.
Leighton nodded.
"Nations and individuals travel like the hands of a clock. You can'talways live in the midday of your life, but you can in the midday of anation. When you get an educated taste, you prefer pheasants, bananas,Stilton, and nations when they're at one o'clock. The best flavor--I'mnot talking about emotions--the best flavor of anything, including life,comes with one o'clock."
"What time is it over there now?" asked Leighton.
"About eleven," said Leighton, "top wave of success. Now, these are theearmarks of success: a meticulous morality in trifles, ingrowing eyes,crudity, enthusiasm, and a majority."
"Heavens!" cried Lewis, "you told me once you were afraid I was going tobe successful. Am I earmarked like that?"
"You will be," said Leighton, "the minute you're driven to sculpturingfor the populace--for what it will bring. That's why I'm giving you yourown income now, because, when you're married, you're going to be prettyhard pressed. I don't want you to be able to justify the sale of yoursoul.
"I had an uncle once--he's dead now--that had an only son named Will.Uncle Jim was a hard worker. He had a paper-mill, and he was worth a lotof money. His son Will wasn't a worker. He didn't own the paper-mill,but he never let you forget he was going to. He failed his way throughschool, but he couldn't quite fail through college. Every time he failedat anything, he used to say: 'It doesn't matter. Dad will give me astart in life, won't you, Dad?' And his father would say, 'I certainlywill.'
"Well, one morning a little after Will had been flunked out of college,he was standing on the lawn whittling. I happened to be looking out ofthe window. I saw Uncle Jim crawling across the grass under cover of arhododendron bush to a position just behind Will. He was carrying underone arm an enormous fire-cracker, with the fuse lit. He rolled it out onthe grass behind Will, and when it went off, Will went, too. He landedseventeen feet from the hole the cracker made.
"When he'd turned around, but before he could get his jaw up, my unclesaid: 'Will, I've always promised I'd give you a start in life. Well,I've given it to you--a damn good start, too, judging by the length ofthat jump. Now you git! Not a word. You just git!'
"Will didn't go very far away. He went to the rival town across theriver. He hadn't learned anything about making paper, but a New EnglandLeighton is just naturally born knowing how to make paper. In fifteenyears Will didn't have much soul left, but he had enough money to buyhis father out and make him sign an agreement to retire. They were bothas pleased as Punch. To the day of his death the old man would say, 'Icertainly gave you a start in life, Will,' and Will would answer with agrin, 'Dad, you certainly did.'
"The moral of that yarn is that we Leightons have proved over and overthat we could play the game of success when we thought it was worthwhile. Will's generation and mine, generally speaking, thought it wasworth while. But your generation--the best of it--isn't going to thinkso. That's why I'm giving you enough money so that you won't have tothink about it all the time."
"I'm grateful, Dad," said Lewis. "It's easier to breathe that way."
Leighton nodded. "Sometimes," He continued, "I feel guilty, as though itwere cowardly not to have lived where I was put. But--have you ever seena straw, caught on a snag, try to stop a river? To your sentimentalistthat straw looks heroic; to anybody that knows the difference betweenbathos and pathos it simply looks silly. The river of life is biggerthan that of any nation. We can't stop it, but we can swell it by goingwith it. Did you ever see a mule drink against the current?"
"No," said Lewis, his eyes lighting with memory of a thing that he knew.
"Did you ever see free cattle face a gale?"
"No," said Lewis again.
"Out of the mouths of the dumb come words of wisdom," said Leighton. "Gowith life, Boy. Don't get stranded on a snag. You'll only look silly.I'm glad you've traveled around a bit, because the wider the range ofyour legs the wider your range of vision, and, let me tell you, you'llneed a mighty broad field of sight to take in America and the Americans.
"Your country and mine is a national paradox. It's the only countrywhere you can't buy little things for money. For instance, you can't buyfour seats that somebody else has a right to from a railway conductorfor sixty-two and a half cents. There isn't any price at which you canget an American to say, 'Yes, sir, thank you, sir,' every time he doesanything for you."
"Lunch is served, sir, thank you, sir," announced the impassive Neltonfrom the doorway.
Lewis smiled, and then laughed at his father's face.
"Nelton," said Leighton, "did you hear what I was saying?"
"I did, sir, thank----"
"Yes, yes," broke in Leighton, "we know. Well, Nelton, your pay israised. Ten per cent."
"Yes, sir," said Nelton, unmoved. "Thank _you,_ sir."
"As I was saying," continued Leighton to Lewis, "a country where moneycan't buy little things. A leveled country where there's less under dogthan anywhere else on the face of the earth. A people that's morecommunal and less socialistic than any other commonwealth. A happynation, my boy--a happy nation of discontented units. Do you get that?Of discontented un
its."
"Yes, I think I do," said Lewis.
"You don't, but you will in time," said Leighton.