In subsequent visits, now covering a period of three years, their gracious
civil "kind" attitude had never varied, save only when their consciences
hurt them for disliking him more than usual, and then they were not only
heroic but fairly effusive in their efforts to be nice.
Nevertheless, it was quite patent to Alexina that he enjoyed smoking his
after-dinner cigar on that old verandah whose sweet-scented vines had been
planted in the historic sixties; or under the ancient oaks of the park
where he dreamed aloud to her of sitting under similar oaks of England, the
guest of Lady Barnstable or Lady Arrowmount, belles of the eighties who
faithfully exchanged letters once a year with Maria Abbott and Coralie
Geary.
From the family there was always the refuge of the tennis court and he
played an excellent game. He also seemed to enjoy those dinners given them
in certain other old Peninsula mansions, and if they were dull he was
duller.
V
Alexina had admitted to herself some time since (never to that wretch,
Aileen Lawton) that he _was_ rather dull, poor darling.
For a long time the aftermath of the earthquake and fire had supplied
topics for conversation. For quite two years there had been an acutely
painful interest in the Graft Prosecution, which, beginning with an attempt
merely to bring to justice the political boss, his henchman the mayor, and
his ignorant obedient board of supervisors, had unthinkably resolved itself
into a declaration of war, with State's Prison as its goal, upon some of
the most prominent capitalists in San Francisco.
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