Page:Arthur Stringer - Twin Tales.djvu/31

Rh The wrinkled-eyed old dandy contemplated her with a ruminative and abstracted stare.

"You're right, Teddikins," he finally agreed. "We all get smug as we get older. That's what that chap—er—that chap called Wordsworth tried to tell us once. Life, my dear, is a waffle-iron that shuts down on us and squeezes us into nice little squares like all the other waffles in the world. It will come and take even the immortal You-ness out of you. It tames you, Teddie, and trims you down, and turns you out an altogether acceptable but an altogether commonplace member of society. It converts you from a gooey savage into a genteel and straight-edged type. So if you can't quite jibe with the mater, don't take it all too tragically. There'll be a time when Little Teddie Number Two will feel exactly the same about you, and"

"You'll never see me idiotic enough to get married," interrupted Teddie.

"Well, there's lots of time to think about that. But in the meantime, my dear, don't break the Fifth Commandment, even