Let him knock the
stuffing out of his old Franklin first and think it over afterwards.
Anything to pull him together. But of course you wouldn't. You are all
right. Only you don't know that things are sometimes different from what
they look. There are friendships that are no friendships, and marriages
that are no marriages. Phoo! Likely to be right--wasn't it? Never a
hint to me. I go off on leave and when I come back, there it is--all
over, settled! Not a word beforehand. No warning. If only: 'What do
you think of it, Franklin?'--or anything of the sort. And that's a man
who hardly ever did anything without asking my advice. Why! He couldn't
take over a new coat from the tailor without . . . first thing, directly
the fellow came on board with some new clothes, whether in London or in
China, it would be: 'Pass the word along there for Mr. Franklin. Mr.
Franklin wanted in the cabin.' In I would go. 'Just look at my back,
Franklin. Fits all right, doesn't it?' And I would say: 'First rate,
sir,' or whatever was the truth of it. That or anything else.
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