Chapter 7 Section 6

On the second floor of Goston House, a long corridor leads to a room overlooking the driveway.It was a room furnished with old-fashioned ornate furniture.There were tapestry wallpaper, expensive leather armchairs, great vases embossed with dragons, bronze statues—everything was luxurious and solid. On one of the grand master's chairs, which was the largest and most magnificent, sat a thin and wizened old man, his long hands resting on the armrests of the chair like claws.A gold-encrusted walking stick was at his side.He was wearing a worn blue nightgown and soft-soled slippers.His hair was all white, and his complexion was yellow.

A shabby, unremarkable fellow, you might think.But his haughty, aquiline nose, and those dark, vivid eyes, might change an onlooker's mind.There is passion, liveliness and vitality in it.Old Simeon Lee laughed suddenly, it was a loud and amused laugh, and said: "Well, did you take my message to Mrs. Alfred?" Horberry was standing beside his chair.He replied with meek humility, "Yes, sir." "Everything I've ever said to you? It's not out of place at all, is it?" "Yes, sir. I have made no mistake, sir." "Yes, you can't go wrong, and you better not—or you'll regret it. What did she say, Holberry? What did Mr. Alfred say?"

Horbury calmly and unemotionally recounted the whole story.The old man laughed again and rubbed his hands excitedly. "Great...first class...they'll be thinking and thinking about it—all afternoon! Great! I want them to come up now, go call them." "Yes, sir." Horbury walked across the room without a sound. "And, Horberry—" The old man looked around and cursed secretly. "This guy walks like a cat and never knows where he is." Before the knock on the door, he sat quietly in the chair, stroking his cheek with his fingers.Alfred and Lydia walked in.

"Oh, here you come, here you come. Sit here, Lydia, my dear, by my side. You look so good!" "I was out just now and it was cold outside. My face was burning afterward." Alfred said, "How are you, father? Have you had a good afternoon's rest?" "Absolutely top-notch, dreaming of the good old days. That was a long time ago before I settled down and became a social stalwart." He suddenly laughed out loud. His daughter-in-law sat there silently, smiling only out of politeness. Alfred said, "What's the matter? Father, there are two more guests for Christmas."

"Ah! Well! Yes, I—must tell you. It's going to be a big Christmas for me this year—a big one. Let me see, George and Magdalen are coming—" Lydia said, "Yes, they'll be here at five twenty tomorrow." Old Simeon said, "Poor wooden man. George! He's nothing but nonsense, and yet he's still my son." "His constituents love him." Simeon laughed again. "They probably think he's honest. Honest, there's never been a Lee who's been honest!" "Oh, come on, father." "I must exclude you, my son, except you."

"Where's David?" Lydia asked. "David, after all these years, I was surprised to see the kid again. He was a ridiculously sentimental kid back then. What was his wife? Anyway, he didn't marry someone twenty years his junior. year old girl, like that fool George!" "Hilda's letter was very well written," said Lydia, "and I've just had another acknowledgment from her that they must be here to-morrow." Her father-in-law looked at her, and the glance was sharp and penetrating. he laughed. "I've never been able to do anything with Lydia," he said. "I tell you. Lydia, you're a very well-bred woman, you can see that. I know that well. But heredity is sometimes It's a funny thing that you're the only one like me—you're the only one in this house."

His eyes flickered. "Now guess who's coming for Christmas. I'll give you three chances, and I'll bet you fivepence that you won't guess." He looked from one to the other.Alfred frowned and said, "Hawbury said you were waiting for a young lady." "That piqued your curiosity—yes, I daresay it did. Pilar will be here any minute now, and I'm calling for a car to fetch her." Alfred said gravely, "Pilar?" "Pilar Estelvados - Jennifer's daughter, my granddaughter. I want to know how she is doing," Simeon said. Alfred cried out: "God, father, you never told me..."

The old man was grinning. "Yes, I want secrecy! I sent Charlton to write the letter and arrange the matter." Alfred repeated, his tone sad and reproachful: "You never told me..." His father spoke, still grinning maliciously: "No surprises then! What do you think about the new blood in this family? I've never met Estelvados. Who will this girl look like—her mother or her father?" "Do you really think it wise, father?" began Alfred again. "All things considered—" The old man interrupted him. "Safety-safety-you think too much about safety, Alfred, you always do! That's not my style! I can do whatever I want, go to hell, that's who I am, That girl is my granddaughter—the only third child in the family, and I don't care who her father is or what he did, she's my flesh and blood, and she's going to live here, in my family. "

Lydia said sharply, "Is she coming to live here?" He glanced at her quickly, "Do you object?" She shook her head and said with a smile, "How can I object to you having someone live in your own home, is it possible? No, I'm just—curious about her." "To her—what do you mean?" "Will she be happy living here?" "She's broke. She should be grateful!" Lydia shrugged. Simeon turned to Alfred: "You see? It's going to be a big Christmas! All my children are around. All this, Alfred, here's your clue. Now come Guess who the other guest is."

Alfred stared at him. "All my children! Guess, son! Of course it's Harry, your brother Harry!" Alfred's face turned pale.He stammered: "Harry—no—not him—" "It's Harry himself!" "But we thought he was dead!" "He didn't!" "You—you let him come back here? After all that happened?" "The prodigal son, eh? That's right. Where's our fattened calf, we'll kill it, Alfred, we'll welcome him back..." Alfred said: "What he did to you--and us all--was disgraceful. He stopped counting his sins, it would be a long list. But it's Christmas, don't you forget Now is the time to forgive! We welcome the prodigal son home."

Alfred stood up. He muttered, "It was an accident. I never thought Harry would walk in this door again." Simeon leaned forward. "You never liked Harry, did you?" he asked softly. "After what he did to you—" Simeon laughed.He said, "Well, let bygones be bygones, that's what Christmas is all about, isn't it, Lydia?" Lydia also turned pale.She said flatly, "I see you've been thinking a lot about Christmas this year." "I want my whole family to be around me, in peace and kindness. I'm an old man already. Are you going out, my dear?" Alfred hurried out. Simeon nodded as he looked at the figure going away. "It upset him. He and Harry never got along, and Harry used to laugh at Alfred and call him Old Turtle." Lydia opened her mouth. She wanted to speak, but seeing the eager look on the old man's face, she held back.She could see that her self-restraint had failed him.Aware of this fact, she couldn't help but say, "It's like the tortoise and the hare race, um. The tortoise wins in the end." "Not always," said Simeon, "not always, my dear Lydia." Still smiling, she said, "Excuse me, I'm going after Alfred, and sudden excitement always makes him uncomfortable." "Yes, Alfred doesn't like change, he - has always been - a stubborn old man who likes life to be the same." Lydia said, "Alfred loves you very much." "You think that's weird, don't you?" "Sometimes," said Lydia, "it does." Simeon watched her leave the room. He chuckled softly and rubbed his hands together. "Fun," he said, "and a lot of fun! I'm going to enjoy this Christmas." He struggled to his feet, and staggered across the room, supported by his cane. He went to a large safe in the corner of the room and turned the handle on the combination dial.The door opened, and he reached in to feel for it, his fingers trembling. He produced a small buckskin pouch, opened it, and rolled a handful of raw diamonds through his fingers. "Ah, my beauty, ah . On those women's necks or on their fingers and ears. You are mine! My old friends! Some things only you know. They say I am old and sick, but I It's not down yet! The old man's got a long time to live. And there's plenty of fun to be had. And..."