The Entire March Family TrilogyHowells, William Dean
General
The Entire March Family Trilogy
Howells, William Dean
Fiction; Literature -- Collections
“Well, he's in a transition state,” Fulkerson allowed. “He's the man for
us. He really understands what we want. You'll see; he'll catch on. That
lurid glare of his will wear off in the course of time. He's really a
good fellow when you take him off his guard; and he's full of ideas.
He's spread out over a good deal of ground at present, and so he's
pretty thin; but come to gather him up into a lump, there's a good deal
of substance to him. Yes, there is. He's a first-rate critic, and he's a
nice fellow with the other artists. They laugh at his universality, but
they all like him. He's the best kind of a teacher when he condescends
to it; and he's just the man to deal with our volunteer work. Yes, sir,
he's a prize. Well, I must go now.”
Fulkerson went out of the street door, and then came quickly back.
“By-the-bye, March, I saw that old dynamiter of yours round at Beaton's
room yesterday.”
“What old dynamiter of mine?”
“That old one-handed Dutchman--friend of your youth--the one we saw at
Maroni's--”
“Oh-Lindau!” said March, with a vague pang of self reproach for having
thought of Lindau so little after the first flood of his tender feeling
toward him was past.
“Yes, our versatile friend was modelling him as Judas Iscariot. Lindau
makes a first-rate Judas, and Beaton has got a big thing in that head
if he works the religious people right. But what I was thinking of was
this--it struck me just as I was going out of the door: Didn't you tell
me Lindau knew forty or fifty, different languages?”
“Four or five, yes.”
“Well, we won't quarrel about the number. The question is, Why not work
him in the field of foreign literature? You can't go over all their
reviews and magazines, and he could do the smelling for you, if you
could trust his nose. Would he know a good thing?”
“I think he would,” said March, on whom the scope of Fulkerson's
suggestion gradually opened. “He used to have good taste, and he must
know the ground. Why, it's a capital idea, Fulkerson! Lindau wrote very
fair English, and he could translate, with a little revision.”
“And he would probably work cheap. Well, hadn't you better see him about
it? I guess it 'll be quite a windfall for him.”
“Yes, it will. I'll look him up. Thank you for the suggestion,
Fulkerson.”
“Oh, don't mention it! I don't mind doing 'Every Other Week' a good turn
now and then when it comes in my way.” Fulkerson went out again, and
this time March was finally left with Mr. Dryfoos.
“Mrs. March was very sorry not to be at home when your sisters called
the other day. She wished me to ask if they had any afternoon in
particular. There was none on your mother's card.”
“No, sir,” said the young man, with a flush of embarrassment that seemed
habitual with him. “She has no day. She's at home almost every day. She
hardly ever goes out.”
“Might we come some evening?” March asked. “We should be very glad to do
that, if she would excuse the informality. Then I could come with Mrs.
March.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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