human
It is very hard to say what I meant to say, without saying too little or too much. You know, Walter, you were worried at one time about how Mr. Robert Kimberly would look at your proposals, and you told me you wanted me to be agreeable to him. And without treating him differently from any one else here, I have tried to pay particular regard to what he had to say and everything of that kind. It is awfully hard to specify, she hesitated in perplexity.
gpt
I am sure I haven’t discriminated him in any way from his brother, or Mr. De Castro, for instance. But I have always shown an interest in things he had to point out, and he seemed to enjoy--perhaps more than the others--pointing things out. And----
human
Well?
gpt
It seems to me now as if he has begun to take an interest in everything _I_ do----
human
Oh, has he?
gpt
And it completely upsets me, Walter.
human
Why so?
gpt
Because I don’t like to think about it.
human
Think about what?
gpt
About any man’s--if I must say it--paying attention to me, except my husband.
human
Now you are hitting me, aren’t you, Alice? You are pretty clever, after all,
gpt
Oh, Walter, you don’t understand at all! Nothing could be further from what I am thinking. I ought not to say he has been attentive enough to speak of. It is not that I dislike Mr. Kimberly. But he does somehow make me uncomfortable. Perhaps I don’t understand their way here.
human
Why, that is all there is to it, Alice. It’s merely their way. Give it no thought. He is simply being agreeable. Don’t imagine that every man that sends you flowers is interested in you. Is that all, Allie?
gpt
Yes. Her acuteness divined about what he would reply.
human
And, she added,
gpt
I think, however foolish it may sound, it is enough.
human
Don’t worry about bridges you will never have to cross. That’s the motto I’ve followed.
gpt
Yes, I know, but----
human
Just a moment. All you have to do is to treat everybody alike.
gpt
But, Walter----
human
You would have to do that anywhere--shouldn’t you? Of course. Suppose we should go somewhere else and find a man that threatened to become an admirer----
gpt
Don’t use such a word!
human
Call it what you please--we can’t keep moving away from that kind of a possibility, can we?
gpt
Still, Walter, I feel as if we might get away from here. I have merely told you exactly what I thought.
human
We can’t get away. This is where everything is done in the sugar business. This is the little world where the big moves are decided upon. If you are not here, you are not in it. We are in the swim now; it took long enough to get in it, God knows. Now let us stay. You can take care of yourself, can’t you?
gpt
How can you ask me!
human
How can I ask you? Aren’t you talking about running away from a situation? _I_ don’t run away from situations. I call the man or woman that runs away from a situation, a coward. Face it down, work it out--don’t dodge it.
gpt
Lottie wants us to come over.
human
Lottie?
gpt
Lottie Nelson.
human
Don’t call her Lottie, Walter.
gpt
She calls me Walter.
human
She has no business to. What did you tell her? Don’t let us go out to-night.
gpt
It is a little celebration of some kind and I told her we would come.
human
My head has ached all day.
gpt
It will do your head good. Come on. I told her we were coming.