Schofield afterward claimed to have noticed, his eyes "wore
a nervous, apprehensive look", his hands were tremulous, and his
manner was "queer and jerky"--at least, that is how she defined
it.
She was not surprised to hear him state that he was travelling
for his health and not upon business. He had not been really well
for several years, he said.
At that, Mr. Schofield laughed and slapped him heartily on the
back.
"Oh, mercy!" Mr. Gilling cried, leaping in his chair. "What IS
the matter?"
"Nothing!" Mr. Schofield laughed. "I just slapped you the way we
used to slap each other on the campus. What I was going to say
was that you have no business being a bachelor. With all your
money, and nothing to do but travel and sit around hotels and
clubs, no wonder you've grown bilious."
"Oh, no; I'm not bilious," Mr. Gilling said uncomfortably. "I'm
not bilious at all."
"You ought to get married," Mr. Schofield returned. "You ought--"
He paused, for Mr. Gilling had jumped again. "What's the trouble,
Joe?"
"Nothing. I thought perhaps--perhaps you were going to slap me on
the back again.
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