After an interval the carriage drew up opposite a brown-
stone dwelling on a side street. Gerald rang the bell, and a moment
later the three were ushered by a discreet and elderly maid into a
little square reception-room immediately off the hall. The maid
withdrew.
Gerald carefully deposited his top hat on the floor, placed in it
his gloves, and leaned his stick against its brim.
"I have brought you here, among other purposes, to hear from me a
little brief wisdom drawn from experience and the observation of
life," he began, addressing his expectant and curious guests. "That
wisdom is briefly this: there comes a time in the affairs of every
household when a man must assert himself as the ruler. In all the
details he may depend on the woman's judgment, experience, and
knowledge, but when it comes to the big crises, where life is
deflected into one channel or the other, then, unless the man does
the deciding, he is lost for ever, and his happiness, and the
happiness of those who depend on him. This is abstruse, but I come
to the particular application shortly.
"But moments of decision are always clouded by many considerations.
The decision is sure to cut across much that is expedient, much that
seems to be necessary, much that is dear.
Pages:
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253