It was Mr. Chester who assumed
responsibility not only for his musical and literary tastes but for his
neckties and hosiery as well. Mr. Chester, in fact, being too negative
and conservative, acted as a much-needed soft pedal on Quin's noisy
aggressiveness. "Not so loud, Quinby," or, "A little more gently, my
boy," he would often say. And Quin would acquiesce good-naturedly and
even gratefully. "That's right, call me down," he would say; "I guess
I'll learn before I die."
In all that he did and said and thought, one object was paramount. He
never lost sight of the fact that he was making himself over for Eleanor,
and the prize at stake was so colossal that no obstacles deterred him. To
be sure, this was not by any means his first amatory venture. As Rose
Martel had said, he "had a way with him"--a way that had kept him
involved in affairs of the heart since the early days in Nanking when he
had succumbed to the charms of a slant-eyed little Celestial at the
tender age of seven. He had always had a girl, just as he had always had
a job; but both had varied with time and place. With a vocabulary of a
dozen words and the sign language, he had managed to flirt across France
and back again.
Pages:
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211