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And you're getting to be a big boy. Why don't you find some boys to go with? There are those Underhills. You're too big to play with girls." "But mother doesn't like boys," hesitatingly. "You should have been a girl!" declared his father testily. "But since you're not, do try to be a little more manly." The father hardly knew what to say himself. And yet he felt that he did love his son.
It is to be doubted whether the pride of the Underhills would have permitted Derek to reply in the affirmative, even if Freddie had phrased his question differently: but the brutal directness of the query made such a course impossible for him. Nothing was dearer to Derek than his self-esteem, and, even at the expense of the truth, he was resolved to shield it from injury.
"And you have no relatives, that is, no one to look after you a bit?" "Well, you see grandmother made hard feelings with the relatives. She didn't think the colonies had any right to go to war. And after father's death mother felt a good deal that way. They dropped us out, and we never took any pains to hunt them up. We never knew much about the Underhills.
Still, the unmistakable trend was up-town. Grace Church was agitating a new building at Tenth Street. Rows of houses were being put up on the new streets, though down-town people rather scoffed and wondered why people were not going up to Harlem and taking their business places along. After much discussion the Underhills settled upon First Street.
Were they so sure all the signs were fulfilled? The Whitneys and the Underhills became very neighborly. Mr. Theodore Whitney often stopped for a little chat, and he was very fond of a good game of checkers with Steve or John. He was on the other side in politics and they had some warm discussions. Ophelia, the oldest girl, was engaged and deeply absorbed with her lover.
The chariot halted at the Underhills'. The little girls brought their dolls to show Daisy, their very best ones, and Nora dressed up Pussy Gray in the long white baby dress, and pussy was very obliging and lay in Daisy's arms just like a real baby. The child felt as if she wanted to kiss him. What a pretty group of gossips they were!
But I think the Underhills were more intelligent than intellectual, and people were still living rather simple lives, not yet impregnated with ideas. They had not had the old Puritan training, and the ferment of science and philosophy and transcendentalism had not invaded the country places.
All the front of the big old house was illuminated. It was square, with a great cupola on top of the second story, and that was in a blaze of light as well. The Underhills all went up early. Steve was very proud of his mother, who had a pretty changeable silk, lilac and gray, and Joe had given her a collar and cuffs of Honiton lace, to wear at his wedding, he said.
It hardly seemed possible that the few years could have wrought such a change in her. Ben took glowing accounts to Delia; and although she felt hurt and sore over the coolness of the Underhills, she did not abate one jot of her love for Ben. She had been very busy arranging Nora's wardrobe, and now most of the care of the house devolved upon her. Mrs.
Yet she was fresh and fair, and seemed to take life very comfortably. Then they were always having so much company at the Underhills. "Yes," said Mrs. Underhill, with a mellow sort of laugh that agreed capitally with her ample person, "yes, we have such a host of cousins, not all own ones, but second and third. And since my daughter was married, the house seems lonesome at times.
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