Three or four days later, Morris Townsend, together with Arthur Townsend, visited Washington Square.

          ‘Arthur is going to marry my sister’s daughter, Marian, so the polite thing is for Arthur to visit me,’ Aunt Penniman said to Catherine before they came.

          And here they were. Arthur sat with Catherine, Morris sat with Mrs Penniman. Catherine tried to listen to Morris and her aunt. Morris often looked over at Catherine and smiled. Then Arthur began to talk about Morris so Catherine began to listen to him.

          ‘Morris asked me to bring him. He wanted to come very much. He loves going out into society.’

          ‘We’re very happy to see him,’ said Catherine.

          ‘Most people like him — he’s very interesting. But some people call him too clever.’

          ‘Now he’s back in New York, will he stay here?’

          ‘Ah,’ said Arthur, ‘he wants to find a job.’

          ‘What? He has no profession?’ said Catherine.

          ‘No. He’s looking round, but he can’t find anything.’

          ‘I’m very sorry,’ said Catherine.

          ‘Oh, he takes life easy,’ said Arthur. ‘The job must be right for him.’

          ‘Will his father take him into his office?’ she asked.

          ‘His father is dead — he only has a sister.’ He looked at Morris and began to laugh. ‘We’re talking about you.’

          Morris stood up. ‘I cannot say the same about you, Arthur,’ he said. ‘But I can about Miss Sloper.’

          Catherine’s face went red. She thought he spoke very well.

          ‘I came to talk to you, Miss Sloper,’ he said. ‘So now I must come another time. ’The two young men left.

          ‘He’s very interested in you, Catherine.’

          ‘Did he say that?’

          ‘Not in those words. But he wanted me to think it. I understand young men.’

          ‘But he doesn’t know me.’

          ‘Oh yes, he knows you. I told him all about you.’

          ‘Oh, Aunt Penniman. We don’t know him or his family.’

          ‘Catherine, you know very well that you like him.’

          Catherine did not think this was a thing to talk about. And she did not think that Aunt Penniman spoke the truth.

          ♦

          Half an hour later, Dr Sloper came home. Mrs Penniman told him of Morris Townsend’s visit.

          ‘Oh, and did he ask you to marry him, Catherine?’ he asked.

          ‘Oh, father!’ said Catherine quietly. She turned and looked at the dark sky through the window.

           ‘He will ask you first, Austin,’ said Lavinia, and smiled.

          ‘The next time he comes, call me,’ the doctor said.

          But the next time Mr Townsend came, the doctor was out again. Mrs Penniman left the two young people together. The visit was quite long. He sat there, in the biggest chair, by the fire, for more than an hour. He looked round the room carefully, at all the things in it. He looked at Catherine carefully. There was a smile in his handsome eyes. His talk was light and easy. He asked Catherine many questions. Did she like this? Did she like that?

          ‘Tell me about you,’ he said. ‘Give me a picture — I can carry it in my head.’ She said she didn’t have much to tell. She didn’t go out very often. She didn’t like reading much. Morris said he liked singing. ‘I’ll sing to you, but not today. Perhaps next time.’

          He did not say, politely, ‘I will sing and you can play for me.’ He thought of this after he was in the street. But Catherine thought only about his words ‘next time’. They had a warm sound. As soon as the doctor came home, she told him about Morris Townsend’s second visit.

          ‘And did he ask you to marry him today?’ the doctor asked.

          She was afraid of this question.

          ‘Perhaps he’ll do it next time,’ she said, and she gave a little laugh. She ran out of the room.

          The doctor stood and thought. Perhaps his daughter wanted to marry Morris Townsend. He decided to learn about this young man, who came in and out of his house when he liked. He went to see Mrs Almond.

Morris looked round the room carefully, at all the things in it.

          ‘Lavinia is very excited, but I know very little about him,’ said Mrs Almond.

          ‘And our young man is from Arthur’s family?’

          ‘Yes, but not close family. The name is the same, but I understand there are Townsends and there are Townsends. Arthur is from the best line of that family, Lavinia’s young man is not. I know his sister. She is very nice. Her name is Mrs Montgomery. Her husband is dead, she has a nice small house, and she has five children. She lives on Second Avenue.’

          ‘What does Mrs. Montgomery say about him?’

          ‘That he’s clever and perhaps he’ll be important.’

          ‘But he does nothing.’

          ‘She doesn’t say that.’

          ‘She’s proud,’ said the doctor. ‘What is his profession?’

          ‘He hasn’t got a profession. He’s looking for something. He was at sea.’

          ‘Was? How old is he?’

          ‘Thirty-something. He went to sea when he was very young. Some money came to him — somebody in his family died, I think. He went all over the world. He has no money now. He decided to begin his life again and so he came back to America.’ 

          ‘Does he want to marry Catherine, then?’

          ‘Don’t forget that after you die she’ll have thirty thousand dollars.’

          ‘And that’s why he thinks she’s nice!’

          Mrs. Almond went red. ‘Not only that!’ she said. ‘But many young men think money is important.’

          ‘The young men of New York are not only interested in money. They also like clever, pretty and exciting girls. Marian is clever, pretty and exciting. Catherine is not.’

          ‘Marian is ordinary. Catherine is not. She has no lovers because men are afraid of her. She is large and dresses richly. They think she is older than they are. Catherine will be the right wife for an older man.’

          ‘Is Mr. Townsend honest?’

          ‘Lavinia thinks he is. And he’s very handsome.’

          ‘What money does he have?’

          ‘I don’t know. He lives with his sister.’

          ‘Perhaps I’ll visit Mrs. Montgomery.’