He surrendered himself accordingly to so approved a
gift; for what was the meaning of the facility but that others DID
surrender themselves? He didn't want, luckily, to prevent Chad
from living; but he was quite aware that even if he had he would
himself have thoroughly gone to pieces. It was in truth
essentially by bringing down his personal life to a function all
subsidiary to the young man's own that he held together. And the
great point, above all, the sign of how completely Chad possessed
the knowledge in question, was that one thus became, not only with
a proper cheerfulness, but with wild native impulses, the feeder of
his stream. Their talk had accordingly not lasted three minutes
without Strether's feeling basis enough for the excitement in which
he had waited. This overflow fairly deepened, wastefully abounded,
as he observed the smallness of anything corresponding to it on the
part of his friend. That was exactly this friend's happy case; he
"put out" his excitement, or whatever other emotion the matter
involved, as he put out his washing; than which no arrangement
could make more for domestic order. It was quite for Strether
himself in short to feel a personal analogy with the laundress
bringing home the triumphs of the mangle.
Pages:
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582