Holiday Page #4

I've got to get out, quit,

change on it somehow or I'll go mad.

I could curl up and die right now.

Why, my foot. I don't look sick, do I?

You know, this is a museum.

Never mind about me. I'll be all right.

Look out for yourself.

Don't let him bully you.

- Good morning.

- Good morning, Father.

- Did you see Mr. Hobson, Father?

- Just for a moment.

There's another thing to be considered.

What is the young man's background?

What did Mr. Hobson say?

But we mustn't rush into things, must we?

I want to be married on January 10.

That's two weeks from this Tuesday.

Impossible.

- Why?

- Yes, why?

I won't stand for a long engagement.

The boy has loads of charm, Father.

- You know him?

- I've heard tell of him.

Charm.

I suppose it's solid merit you're after.

The rumour is he's got that, too.

A sterling chap on the whole.

A catch, in fact.

Have you the financial section

of the Times, Ned?

No. I try to take Sundays off when I can.

Which reminds me,

I'd like you to remain in the office until 6:00.

- 6:
00? What for?

- As an example to the other men.

- But there's nothing for me to do after 3:00.

- You'll find something.

See here, Father,

if you think I'm going to fake...

Did you understand me, Ned?

Father, what did Mr. Hobson say?

It wasn't the time or place

to go into the matter with him.

I asked him to drop by tonight.

Father, but what did he say?

His report was not at all unfavourable.

- That must have been a blow.

- He appears to have some business ability.

He has put through a successful

reorganization of Seaboard Utilities.

- Seaboard? Poor fellow.

- Shrewd fellow, perhaps.

Hobson says the signs

are not unfavourable for Seaboard.

We'll buy some in the morning, Ned.

But we must know more

about Mr. Chase's background.

Case, Father.

Let it go.

Chase has such a sweet banking sound.

- Father, he's from Baltimore.

- Fine, old, pre-war stock, I imagine.

Wasn't there a Judge Case somewhere?

I intend to know more about the young man

than his name and his place of birth.

It would be advisable

that when he arrives he finds me alone...

...in order that I may conduct the inquiry

along my own lines.

I won't allow the subject of an engagement

to come up in my first talk with him.

Wouldn't you like me to hide

under the sofa and take shorthand notes?

I don't believe that'll be necessary.

I think the poor guy ought to see

one friendly face in the courtroom.

Yes, Henry?

- Mr. Case wishes to be announced, sir.

- Yes, Henry.

You will all excuse yourselves

on one pretext or another.

Keep a stiff upper lip, Father.

No doubt the fellow is an impostor.

- Father.

- Yes, Julia?

Remember, I know what I want.

Come in.

I hope I'm not late. I got caught in traffic.

Father, this is Mr. Case.

- How do you do?

- How do you do, sir?

My daughter Linda.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

And my son, Edward.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

Ned, if you and your sisters

will do the telephoning you spoke about...

...I shall try and entertain Mr. Case.

We'll be back in a few minutes, Johnny.

What would we do without the telephone?

I believe you had something

you wanted to do, Linda?

Me, Father?

I can't remember a thing.

We seem to be enjoying quite

an unusual freedom from snow this winter.

I like snow.

That's why I went up to Lake Placid.

Placid? Yes, my daughter Julia

has just come from there.

Yes, I know.

- You're in business in New York, Mr. Case?

- Yes, sir. I'm with Sloan and Hobson.

An excellent firm.

- A born New Yorker?

- No, no. I was born in Baltimore.

July 6, 1908. I'm 30.

I used to have a lot of good friends

in Baltimore.

Let me see.

The Whites, the Clarence Whites.

- Possibly you knew them?

- I don't believe I ever did.

- No? And there was Archer Fuller's family.

- I'm afraid not.

Let me see, Colonel Evans, old Philip Evans.

No.

I haven't been there in some years and,

well, I wouldn't know them anyway.

You see, my father

had a small grocery store in Baltimore.

Yes. He never made a go of it though...

...and when he died he left several debts

which Mother worked hard to clear up.

I was just a child at the time

and I couldn't help her very much.

Mother died the May

before my 16th birthday.

How sad.

Yes, it was pretty sad.

I hadn't any connections

except for an uncle...

...who's in the roofing business

in Wilmington.

He wasn't much good, though.

He was inclined to get drunk. Still is.

We have an uncle

like that but he keeps off roofs.

Mother had wanted me

to go to a big Eastern college...

...so I worked my way through Harvard.

In vacations, I worked in a steel mill

and in an automobile factory.

One summer I drove a garbage truck.

Admirable.

No, they simply happened

to be the only jobs I could get...

...but you can learn a lot in a steel mill,

a lot you don't get at Harvard.

Anything else, sir?

I beg your pardon?

I should think you would.

Is there anything else

you'd like to know about me?

Why, that is...

Well, Mr. Seton, how about it?

- About it? About what?

- About Julia and me, getting married.

Why, this is a complete surprise to me.

I hardly know what to say to you.

- Well, "yes" would be pleasant.

- I'm sure it would.

However, we must go into the matter

a little more carefully, I'm afraid.

The only difficulty about that is the time.

Julia's idea is January 10. Mine, too.

We'll see about that.

May I ask how we shall see, sir?

Mr. Case, I don't know you at all.

I'll give you every opportunity

you permit me.

- Lunch tomorrow?

- Tomorrow I have...

Tuesday?

Suppose you meet me

at the Bankers' Club at 1:00 on Friday?

I'm sorry, but Friday's out.

I've got business in Boston that day.

Better make it tomorrow.

I'll see whether I can rearrange

my engagements.

Ned, Julia, nearly time for lunch, isn't it?

In the meantime, I think Mr. Sloan or

Mr. Hobson might say a good word for me.

I'm decent and civilized

and I love your daughter, which isn't hard.

She seems to like me, too, and that's

about all that can be said for me...

...except that we have a grand chance

of being happy.

- So do I.

- Come on, Father, be an angel.

The matter is too important

to be decided offhand.

You'll be married when I've come to

a decision and on a day which I will name.

- Our plan was the 10th.

- That is out of the question.

- Yes, Henry?

- Luncheon, sir.

- Mr. Seton, l...

- Luncheon, Mr. Chase.

A very interesting necktie you have.

Thank you.

I have a haberdasher

who's made my ties for a good many years...

...and that particular pattern

I seem to recognize.

Possibly, sir,

because this happens to be your necktie.

Ned and I thought it might bring me luck.

Father.

Come in, Julia.

I thought you might like

some hot chocolate.

Thank you.

I just saw Mr. Hobson leave.

- Did you and he have a nice talk?

- Yes.

Father...

...what have you decided?

Marriage is an extremely important step

for a young girl.

Mother was younger than I

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