Sara hinted, a little more sharply:

‘Curious, you, of all people, can’t sleep. Worried, Father?’

‘No, not exactly.’

‘I noticed you were reading a lot of travel stuff . . . Do you still want to retire and go places?’

‘Maybe. Sort of.’

‘But you wouldn’t really go to Europe, would you, or some other place far off from us?’

‘Well, thunder, if you’re going to make a break, might’s well make a good one. No particular novelty for me, going out to the club for golf!’

‘It’d be fierce for me if you did go away, Father; especially if Mother went, too.’

‘Why?’

‘Oh, Howard would think he was head of the family and the boss, then, and he’s such a dope! I suppose Annabel is all right, but Howard’s one of these curly-headed boys. He’s the kind that reads books about How to Sell, and gets so busy rushing out and selling that he never takes time to find out what he’s going to sell.’

‘But why do you worry so? You’re smart enough. You’re making a go of this decoration thing.’

‘But if I start my own shop, I’d never get away with it without your help.’

‘Then why start it? You got a good boss in Walter Lindbeck.’

‘Yes, he’s kind of a nice little man. But . . . Probably I wouldn’t bare my throbbing little heart if it weren’t such an ungodly hour, but I don’t always want to be a lone spinster, and between us, as man to man, I don’t seem to click with the boys, except rootless freaks like Gene Silga, curse him!’

‘I suppose Gene was sort of on the free-love side.’

‘And how! And theoretically, I agree. I never did think much of getting caged up with a man you’ve hardly been introduced to! But practically, I guess I’ve got too much Cornplow and Jenkins in me, doggone it . . . Heavens! I’m talking just like you!’

‘What’s the matter with talking like me? I always do!’

‘Not always, darling. Sometimes you forget yourself and become quite literate.’

‘Well, I did more or less go to college, and recent years, I’ve been brought up on luncheon-club oratory: “Fellow members, real and enduring prosperity lies in the abandonment of the antiquated ethic of every guy for himself.” I have got some vocabulary, but mostly I leave it up in the attic, with the trunks.’

‘Of course you have. But, Father, I wonder if you’re really and truly quite on to yourself? If you’d still like to go off and be a hobo . . .’

‘I would!’

‘But why don’t you face it as you would a business problem? Suppose you were in a European hotel, where almost every guest was a globe-trotter. You’d feel as out of place as a stray pup. Oh, I know you have worries; you’ve always worked so hard. In fact, I have an idea you’re more exhausted than Mother or even you suspect. You don’t know how I’ve been watching you. But it wouldn’t be any remedy to go roaming. That’s hard work for anybody that isn’t used to it. I wish you’d just relax and rest. I wish you’d get help from somebody who understands these things. I wish you’d get well!’