_In person he is a small, shrivelled man with a great amount of hair on his face, which gives him an unmistakable resemblance to a French poodle. The fact that he is almost blind and even more nearly deaf contributes to his aloof, judicial pose, and to the prevailing impression that something grave and thoughtful and important is going on back of those faded, vacant eyes. This conception is entirely erroneous. Half the time his mind is a vacuum, in which confused clots of information and misinformation drift and stir--the rest of the time he broods upon the minute details of his daily existence. He is too old, even, for the petty spites which represent to the aged the single gesture of vitality they can make against the ever-increasing pressure of life and youth._ _When he enters the room he looks neither to left nor right, but with his head shaking faintly and his mouth moving in a shorter vibration, makes directly for the bookcase._ JERRY. Hello, Dada. _Dada does not hear._ JERRY [_louder_]. Looking for the Bible, Dada? DADA. [_He has reached the bookcase, and he turns around stiffly._] I’m not deaf, sir. JERRY. [_Let’s draw the old man out._] Who do you think will be nominated for President, Dada? DADA [_trying to pretend he has just missed one word_]. The---- JERRY [_louder_]. Who do you think’ll be nominated for President, to-night? DADA. I should say that Lincoln was our greatest President. [_He turns back to the bookcase with an air of having settled a trivial question for all time._] JERRY. I mean to-night. They’re getting a new one. Don’t you read the papers? DADA [_who has heard only a faint murmur_]. Hm. CHARLOTTE. You _know_ he never reads anything but the Bible. Why do you nag him? JERRY. He reads the encyclopædia at the Public Library. [_With a rush of public spirit._] If he’d just read the newspapers he’d know what was going on and have something to talk about. He just sits around and never says anything. CHARLOTTE. At least he doesn’t gabble his head off all day. He’s got sense enough not to do that _any_way, haven’t you, Dada? _Dada does not answer._ JERRY. Lookit here, Charlit. I don’t call it gabbling if I meet a man in the street and he says, “Well, I see somebody was nominated for President,” and I say, “Yes, I see saw--see so.” Suppose I said, “Yes, Lincoln was our greatest President.” He’d say, “Why, if that fella isn’t a piece of cheese I never saw a piece of cheese.” DADA [_turning about plaintively_]. Some one has taken my Bible. JERRY. No, there it is on the second shelf, Dada. DADA. [_He doesn’t hear._] I don’t like people moving it around. CHARLOTTE. Nobody moved it.