upon him, "because I've got through my talk
with him, and now I want to talk with YOU. It's just as I said,
Persis; he wants to go into the business with me."

"It's lucky for you," said his wife, meaning that now he would not be
made to suffer for attempting to hoax her. But she was too intensely
interested to pursue that matter further. "What in the world do you
suppose he means by it?"

"Well, I should judge by his talk that he had been trying a good many
different things since he left college, and he hain't found just the
thing he likes--or the thing that likes him. It ain't so easy. And
now he's got an idea that he can take hold of the paint and push it in
other countries--push it in Mexico and push it in South America. He's
a splendid Spanish scholar,"--this was Lapham's version of Corey's
modest claim to a smattering of the language,--"and he's been among the
natives enough to know their ways. And he believes in the paint,"
added the Colonel.

"I guess he believes in something else besides the paint," said Mrs.
Lapham.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Silas Lapham, if you can't see NOW that he's after Irene, I
don't know what ever CAN open your eyes. That's all."

The Colonel pretended to give the idea silent consideration, as if it
had not occurred to him before. "Well, then, all I've got to say is,
that he's going a good way round. I don't say you're wrong, but if
it's Irene, I don't see why he should want to go off to South America
to get her. And that's what he proposes to do. I guess there's some
paint about it too, Persis. He says he believes in it,"--the Colonel
devoutly lowered his voice,--"and he's willing to take the agency on
his own account down there, and run it for a commission on what he can
sell."

"Of course! He isn't going to take hold of it any way so as to feel
beholden to you. He's got too much pride for that."

"He ain't going to take hold of it at all, if he don't mean paint in
the first place and Irene afterward. I don't object to him, as I know,
either way, but the two things won't mix; and I don't propose he shall
pull the wool over my eyes--or anybody else. But, as far as heard
from, up to date, he means paint first, last, and all the time. At any
rate, I'm going to take him on that basis. He's got some pretty good
ideas about it, and he's been stirred up by this talk, just now, about
getting our manufactures into the foreign markets. There's an
overstock in ev