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They're going into politics too; aren't they?〃  She looked from one young
man to the other with an idea that she was perhaps shooting rather wild;
and an amiable willingness to be laughed at if she were。  〃Why don't you
go into politics; Mr。 Mavering?〃

〃Well; the fact is〃

〃So many of the young University men do in England;〃 said Mrs。 Pasmer;
fortifying her position。

〃Well; you see; they haven't got such a complete machine in England〃

〃Oh yes; that dreadful machine!〃 sighed Mrs。 Pasmer; who had heard of it;
but did not know in the least what it was。

〃Do you think the Harvard crew will beat this time?〃 Alice asked of
Boardman。

〃Well; to tell you the truth〃

〃Oh; but you must never believe him when he begins that way!〃 cried
Mavering。  〃To be sure they will beat。  And you ought to be there to see
it。  Now; why won't you come; Mrs。 Pasmer?〃 he pleaded; turning to her
mother。

〃Oh; I'm afraid we must be getting away from Boston by that time。  It's
very tiresome; but there seems to be nobody left; and one can't stay
quite alone; even if you're sick of moving about。  Have you ever been
we think of going thereto Campobello?〃

〃No; but I hear that it's charming; there。  I had a friend who was there
last year; and he said it was charming。  The only trouble is it's so far。
You're pretty well on the way to Europe when you get there。  You know
it's all hotel life?〃

〃Yes。  It's quite a new place; isn't it?〃

〃Well; it's been opened up several years。  And they say it isn't like the
hotel life anywhere else; it's charming。  And there's the very nicest
class of people。〃

〃Very nice Philadelphia people; I hear;〃 said Mrs。 Pasmer; 〃and
Baltimore。  Don't you think it's well;〃 she asked deferentially; and
under correction; if she were hazarding too much; 〃to see somebody
besides Boston people sometimesif they're nice?  That seems to be one
of the great advantages of living abroad。〃

〃Oh; I think there are nice people everywhere;〃 said the young man; with
the bold expansion of youth。

〃Yes;〃 sighed Mrs。 Pasmer。  〃We saw two such delightful young people
coming in and out of the hotel in Rome。  We were sure they were English。
And they were from Chicago!  But there are not many Western people at
Campobello; are there?〃

〃I really don't know;〃 said Mavering。  〃How is it; Boardman?  Do many of
your people go there?〃

〃You know you do make it so frightfully expensive with your money;〃 said
Mrs。 Pasmer; explaining with a prompt effect of having known all along
that Boardman was from the West; 〃You drive us poor people all away。〃

〃I don't think my money would do it;〃 said Boardman quietly。

〃Oh; you wait till you're a Syndicate Correspondent;〃 said; Mavering;
putting his hand on his friend's shoulder; and rising by aid of it。  He
left Mrs。 Pasmer to fill the chasm that had so suddenly yawned between
her and Boardman; and while she tumbled into every sort of flowery
friendliness and compliment; telling him she should look out for his
account of the race with the greatest interest; and expressing the hope
that he would get as far as Campobello during the summer; Mavering found
some minutes for talk with Alice。  He was graver with herfar graver
than with her mothernot only because she was a more serious nature; but
because they were both young; and youth is not free with youth except by
slow and cautious degrees。  In that little space of time they talked of
pictures; 'a propos' of some on the wall; and of books; because of those
on the table。

〃Oh yes;〃 said Mrs。 Pasmer when they paused; and she felt that her piece
of difficult engineering had been quite successful; 〃Mrs。 Saintsbury was
telling me what a wonderful connoisseur of etchings your father is。〃

〃I believe he does know something about them;〃 said the young man
modestly。

〃And he's gone back already?〃

〃Oh yes。  He never stays long away from my mother。  I shall be going home
myself as soon as I get back from the race。〃

〃And shall you spend the summer there?〃

〃Part of it。  I always like to do that。〃

〃Perhaps when you get away you'll come as far as Campobellowith Mr。
Boardman;〃 she added。

〃Has Boardman promised to go?〃 laughed Mavering。  〃He will promise
anything。  Well; I'll come to Campobello if you'll come to New London。
Do come; Mrs。 Pasmer!〃

The mother stood watching the two young men from the window as they made
their way across the square together。  She had now; for some reason; no
apparent scruple in being seen to do so。

〃How ridiculous that stout little Mr。 Boardman is with him!〃 said Mrs。
Pasmer。  〃He hardly comes up to his shoulder。  Why in the world should he
have brought him?〃

〃I thought he was very pleasant;〃 said the girl。

〃Yes; yes; of course。  And I suppose he'd have felt that it was rather
pointed coming alone。〃

〃Pointed?〃

〃Young men are so queer!  Did you like that kind of collar he had on?〃

〃I didn't notice it。〃

〃So very; very high。〃

〃I suppose he has rather a long neck。〃

〃Well; what did you think of his urging us to go to the race?  Do you
think he meant it?  Do you think he intended it for an invitation?〃

〃I don't think he meant anything; or; if he did; I think he didn't know
what。〃

〃Yes;〃 said Mrs。 Pasmer vaguely; 〃that must be what Mrs。 Saintsbury meant
by the artistic temperament。〃

〃I like people to be sincere; and not to say things they don't mean; or
don't know whether they mean or not;〃 said Alice。

〃Yes; of course; that's the best way;〃 admitted Mrs。 Pasmer。  〃It's the
only way;〃 she added; as if it were her own invariable practice。  Then
she added further; 〃I wonder what he did mean?〃

She began to yawn; for after her simulation of vivid interest in them the
visit of the young men had fatigued her。  In the midst of her yawn her
daughter went out of the room; with an impatient gesture; and she
suspended the yawn long enough to smile; and then finished it。



XI。

After first going to the Owen; at Campobello; the Pasmers took rooms at
the Ty'n…y…Coed; which is so much gayer; even if it is not so
characteristic of the old Welsh Admiral's baronial possession of the
island。  It is characteristic enough; and perched on its bluff
overlooking the bay; or whatever the body of water is; it sees a score of
pretty isles and long reaches of mainland coast; with a white marble
effect of white…painted wooden Eastport; nestled in the wide lap of the
shore; in apparent luxury and apparent innocence of smuggling and the
manufacture of herring sardines。  The waters that wrap the island in
morning and evening fog temper the air of the latitude to a Newport
softness in summer; with a sort of inner coolness that is peculiarly
delicious; lulling the day with long calms and light breezes; and after
nightfall commonly sending a stiff gale to try the stops of the hotel's
gables and casements; and to make the cheerful blaze on its public
hearths acceptable。  Once or twice a day the Eastport ferry…boat arrives;
with passengers from the southward; at a floating wharf that sinks or
swims half a hundred feet on the mighty tides of the Northeast; but all
night long the island is shut up to its own memories and devices。  The
pretty romance of the old sailor who left England to become a sort of
feudal seigneur here; with a holding of the entire island; and its
fisher…folk for his villeins; forms a picturesque background for the
aesthetic leisure and society in the three hotels remembering him and his
language in their names; and housing with a few cottages all the
sojourners on the island。  By day the broad hotel piazzas shelter such of
the guests as prefer to let others make their excursions into the heart
of the island; and around its rocky; sea…beaten borders; and at night;
when the falling mists have brought the early dark; and from lighthouse
to lighthouse the fog…horns moan and low to one another; the piazzas cede
to the corridors and the parlours and smoking…rooms。  The life does not
greatly differ from other seaside hotel life on the surface; and if one
were to make distinctions one would perhaps begin by saying that hotel
society there has much of the tone of cottage society elsewhere; with a
little more accessibility。  As the reader doubtless knows; the great mass
of Boston society; thoughtful of its own weight and bulk; transports
itself down the North Shore scarcely further than Manchester at the
furthest; but there are more courageous or more detachable spirits who
venture into more distant regions。  These contribute somewhat toward
peopling Bar Harbour in the summer; but they scarcely characterise it in
any degree; while at Campobello they settle in little daring colonies;
whose self…reliance will enlist the admiration of the sympathetic
observer。  They do not refuse the knowledge of other colonies of other
stirps and origins; and they even combine in temporary alliance with
them。  But; after all; Boston speaks one language; and New York another;
and Washington a third; and though the several dialects have only slight
differences of inflection; their moral accents render each a little
difficult for the others。  In fact every society is repellant of
strangers in the degree that it is suffi

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