“‘Redress’ nothing! What redress could there be for a pack of get-rich-quick guys who had insisted on buying my stock after I’d told them just how worthless it was? Didn’t I have their own signed statements that I——” “And you call that transaction an instance of truth-telling?” “Oh, well, the _real_ truth’s too precious to squander foolishly where it won’t be appreciated. It’s like whiskey: got to be weakened to the popular taste. And speaking of liars, have you kept your eye much on Jerry lately?” “No, why?” “That young ass has got something on the thing he calls his mind, and I’ve a good working notion the ‘Something’ is a scheme to get even with me. I just judge that from what I know of him. He gets his morning letter from that chorus missus of his, and then he sits and rolls his eyes at me for half an hour. He’s framing up something all right, all right. What it is, I don’t know. That’s the advantage a fool has over a wise man! You can dope out some line of action on a man of brains, but the Almighty himself don’t know what a fool’ll do next. So I’m kind of riding herd on Jerry from afar.” “Perhaps if you tried a new tack—took him into your confidence——” “There wouldn’t be any confidence left. No man’s got enough for two. Sometimes I’m shy on even the little I once had.” “The campaign?” “The campaign? That ain’t a question of confidence any more than knowing the sun will rise and Missouri will go Democratic. I was thinking of the confidence I had of winning the Pompton Avenue crowd by that measly reception.” “You haven’t succeeded?” “Not so’s you’d notice it. A few of the people who are so tangled up in my deals that they are scared not to be civil, nod sort of sheepish at me when I meet ’em. The rest get near-sighted as soon as I come round the corner. As for calling on us or inviting me to any of their houses, why you’d think I was the Voice of Conscience by the way they sidestep me.” “But the season hasn’t really opened. In most cities, people aren’t even back from the seaside or mountains yet. Perhaps, later on——” “Later on the present performance will be encored by popular request. Say, Miss Lanier, I was half jagged that night. But I can remember telling you that I was happier just then than I’d ever been before. I was in society at last. My boy was a member of the smart set in New York. My girl was a princess. I was going to be Governor.” “Yes?” “Well, look at me now. Jerry’s made a lifelong mess of his future. Blanche is on the way to Yurrup with a bargain counter prince that I’d hate to compliment by calling deuce-high. My deebut into society was like the feller in the song, who ‘Walked Right in and Turned Around and Walked Right out Again.’ The Governorship’s the only thing left; and I’m getting so I’m putting into that all the hopes I squandered on the rest. And when I’ve nailed it, I’ve a half mind to try for President. That’d carry me clear through society, and on out on the other side.”