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"I' pause Clayton's face was expressionless

"Since when?"

"Last fall, sir"

"Does your mother know?"

"I told her, yes" He looked up quickly "I didn't tell you I knew you

disliked her, and mother said?" He checked himself "Marion wanted to

wait She wanted to be welcome when she came into the family"

"I don't so much dislike her as I--disapprove of her"

"That's rather worse, isn't it?"

Clayton was tired His very spirit was tired He sat down in his big

chair by the fire

"She is older than you are, you know"

"I don't see what that has to do with it, father"

In Clayton's defense was his own situation He did not want the boy to

repeat hiswo the iedly deterency in

the boy's voice Perhaps in his new conviction that the passions of the

forties were the only real ones, he took too little count of the urge of

youth

He roused himself