human
Present company excepted, of course,
gpt
Ah! laughed his guest.
human
You're the same as ever, Charles.
gpt
Gran'pa --the synonym for a sort of impersonal unit of the vague species Ancestor--and not to hear him referred to as such seemed to bring him down from his lofty pedestal and make him too human and ordinary. I could no more picture him as somebody's
human
Charles, or
gpt
Charlie, than I could visualize the King of England in pajamas. Some things are so homely that they seem disrespectful. Gran'pa as
human
Charles
gpt
Well, I asked,
human
She won't promise, yet.
gpt
Now listen to me, Gran'pa, I said, firmly.
human
I like the lady immensely and I admire your taste, but we can't have this gorilla expedition sidetracked for the sake of a mere woman. You'll have to insist on a definite answer by the end of next week, say. Either she will or she won't; but, whatever her decision, we must leave for Africa this month. If she agrees, all the more incentive to your trying to make the expedition a success; if she refuses--well, we still owe a duty to humanity. You've sufficient sense at your age to know that you can't afford to fritter away your time on an abortive love-affair with a lady old enough to be your mother.
gpt
You know what women are, George,
human
I do. That's why I recommend strong handling.
gpt
She recognizes in me quite sufficient proof that she _can_ regain her youth. But she thinks that it's not . . . right.
human
Fiddlesticks! If she loves you, her answer is obvious.
gpt
You must admit, George, that it also requires some courage,
human
Of course it does. But love thrives on courage and self-sacrifice. Put her to the test. Let her endure it.
gpt
You think that I ought to _insist_?
human
Absolutely!
gpt
Y-e-s! . . . I suppose I must. . . .
human
The least sign of weakness will be fatal, I continued.
gpt
Unless you're careful, she'll go on wavering--it's so difficult to get people at that age to make a move. But you can't marry a woman . . . who feels and looks thirty years older than yourself.
human
N--o!
gpt
Then it's agreed that you give her a couple of weeks in which to make up her mind, and that we leave for Africa before the month's out in any case?
human
Yes! . . . I agree!