He was manifestly on pins and needles to get
away, without having the courage to do so.
"So that's what you wanted to meet me for?" he muttered looking
at the wall
"Well, I'll tell you frankly how it was, Mr. Tevkin," I said, and
began with a partial lie calculated to bribe him: "I became
interested in her because I heard that she was your daughter, and
afterward, when I had returned to the city, I made it my business
to go to the library and to read your works. My enthusiasm for
your writings is genuine, however, I assure you, Mr. Tevkin.
And when I went to that caf? it was for the purpose of making
your acquaintance, as much for your own sake as for hers. There, I
have told you the whole story."
There was mixed satisfaction and perplexity in his look
The next morning my mail included a letter from him. It was
penned in Hebrew. It read like a chapter of the Old Testament. He
pointed out, with exquisite tact, that it was merely as a would-be
courtier that I had failed to find favor in his daughter's
eyes--something that is purely a matter of taste and chance.
Pages:
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743