human
I saw you, Mr. Henderson --it was Mrs. Laflamme raising her voice--
gpt
Yes--Miss Eschelle.
human
I don't know them. We used to hear of them in Naples, Venice, various places; they were in Europe some time; I believe. She was said to be very entertaining--and enterprising.
gpt
Well, I suppose they have seen something of the world. The other lady was her mother. And the man with us--that might interest you more, Mrs. Laflamme, was Mr. Lyon, who will be the Earl of Chisholm.
human
Ah! Then I suppose she has money?
gpt
I never saw any painful evidence of poverty. But I don't think Mr. Lyon is fortune-hunting. He seems to be after information and--goodness.
human
Miss Eschelle called on me yesterday.
gpt
And was, no doubt, agreeable.
human
She was, as Mrs. Laflamme says, entertaining. She quoted you a good deal.
gpt
Quoted me? For what?
human
As one would a book, as a familiar authority.
gpt
I suppose I ought to be flattered, if you will excuse the street expression, to have my stock quotable. Perhaps you couldn't tell whether Miss Eschelle was a bull or a bear in this case?
human
I don't clearly know what that is. She didn't offer me any,
gpt
Well, she is a bit of an operator. A good many women here amuse themselves a little in stocks.
human
It doesn't seem to me very feminine.
gpt
No? But women generally like to' take risks and chances. In countries where lotteries are established they always buy tickets.
human
Ah! then they only risk what they have. I think women are more prudent and conservative than men.
gpt
No doubt. They are conservatives usually. But when they do go in for radical measures and risks, they leave us quite behind. Mr. Henderson did not care to extend the conversation in this direction, and he asked, abruptly,
human
Are you finding New York agreeable, Miss Debree?
gpt
Yes. Yes and no. One has no time to one's self. Do you understand why it is, Mr. Henderson, that one can enjoy the whole day and then be thoroughly dissatisfied with it?
human
Perfectly; when the excitement is over.
gpt
And then I don't seem to be myself here. I have a feeling of having lost myself.
human
Because the world is so big?
gpt
Not that. Do you know, the world seems much smaller here than at home.
human
And the city appears narrow and provincial?
gpt
I cannot quite explain it. The interests of life don't seem so large --the questions, I mean, what is going on in Europe, the literature, the reforms, the politics. I get a wider view when I stand off--at home. I suppose it is more concentrated here. And, oh dear, I'm so stupid! Everybody is so alert in little things, so quick to turn a compliment, and say a bright thing. While I am getting ready to say what I really think about Browning, for instance, he is disposed of in a sentence.
human
That is because you try to say what you really think.
gpt
If one don't, what's the use of talk?
human
Oh, to pass the time.