"I wonder how a fellow would go about it anyway," he thought. "He
couldn't make any sentimental remarks, without being instantly frozen.
She's like the Boston girls we read about in the funny papers. He
couldn't give her things, either, except flowers or books, or sweets, or
music. She has more books than she wants, because she reviews'em for the
paper, and I don't think she's musical. She doesn't look like the candy
fiends, and I imagine she'd pitch a box of chocolates into the sad sea,
or give it to Hepsey. There's nothing left but flowers--and I suppose
she wouldn't notice'em.
"A man would have to teach her to like him, and, on my soul, I don't
know how he'd do that. Constant devotion wouldn't have any effect--I
doubt if she'd permit it; and a fellow might stay away from her for
six months, without a sign from her. I guess she's cold--no, she isn't,
either--eyes and temper like hers don't go with the icebergs.
"I--that is, he couldn't take her out, because there's no place to go.
It's different in the city, of course, but if he happened to meet her in
the country, as I've done-"Might ask her to drive, possibly, if I could rent Alfred and Mamie for
a few hours--no, we'd have to have the day, for anything over two miles,
and that wouldn't be good form, without a chaperone. Not that she needs
one--she's equal to any emergency, I fancy. Besides, she wouldn't go.
If I could get those two plugs up the hill, without pushing 'em, gravity
would take'em back, but I couldn't ask her to walk up the hill after
the pleasure excursion was over. I don't believe a drive would entertain
her.
"Perhaps she'd like to fish--no, she wouldn't, for she said she didn't
like worms. Might sail on the briny deep, except that there's no harbour
within ten miles, and she wouldn't trust her fair young life to me.
She'd be afraid I'd drown her.
"I suppose the main idea is to cultivate a clinging dependence, but I'd
like to see the man who could woo any dependence from Miss Thorne. She
holds her head like a thoroughbred touched with the lash. She said she
was afraid of Carlton, but I guess she was just trying to be pleasant.
I'll tell him about it--no, I won't, for I said I wouldn't.
"I wish there was some other girl here for me to talk to, but I'll be
lucky if I can get along peaceably with the one already here. I'll have
to discover all her pet prejudices and be careful not to walk on any of
'em. There's that crazy woman, for instance--I mustn't allude to her,
even respectfully, if I'm to have any softening feminine influence about
me before I go back to town. She didn't seem to believe I had any letter
from Carlton--that's what comes of being careless.