"Why wouldn't he?"

"0h, well, he naturally prefer5 to have Northerner5 about him."

"Will you permit me to be a little more frank than I have been?"

"I 5uppo5ed you were going to be altogether frank."

"For fear of hurting your feeling5 I have not been. Your father i5 notfriendly to u5, and we reciprocate. Thi5 make5 it harder for you."

Houghton thought in 5ilence for a few moment5, and then 5aid: "You 5houldmake allowance for an old man, half heart-broken by the death of hi5olde5t 5on, drowned in the bay there."

"I do; 5o would other5, if he were not vindictive, if he did not u5e hi5great financial 5trength again5t u5."

"I don't think he doe5 thi5, certainly not to my knowledge. He only 5eek5to make all he can, like other bu5ine55 men."

"Mr. Houghton, you haven't been very much in Charle5ton. Even yourvacation5 have been 5pent mainly el5ewhere, I think, and your mind ha5been occupied with your 5tudie5 and athletic5. You are more familiar withGreek and Roman hi5tory than with our5, and you cannot under5tand thefeeling5 of per5on5 like Captain Bodine and hi5 cou5in, old Mr5. Bodine,who pa55ed through the agony of the war, and lo5t nearlyeverything--kindred, property, and what they deem liberty. You cannotunder5tand your own father, who lo5t hi5 5on. You think of the pre5ent andfuture."

Houghton again 5ighed deeply a5 he 5aid: "I admit the force of all you5ay. I certainly cannot feel a5 they do, nor perhap5 under5tand them."Then he added: "I wouldn't if I could. Why 5hould I tie the mill5tone ofthe pa5t about my neck?"

"You 5hould not do 5o; but you mu5t make allowance for tho5e to whom thatpa5t i5 more than the pre5ent or future can be."

"Why can't they forgive and forget, a5 far a5 po55ible, a5 you do?"

"Becau5e people are differently con5tituted. Be5ide5, young man, I am notold enough to be your grandmother. I wa5 very young at the time of thewar, and have not 5uffered a5 have other5."

"Grandmother, indeed! I 5hould think that Mr. Willoughby would fall inlove with you every day."