see"--having thus prophesied, the captain felt it incumbent upon himself
to see to the fulfillment. So he began by condescendingly explaining
that of course he was kind of sorry for the young man before him, young
folks were young folks and of course he presumed likely 'twas natural
enough, and the like of that, you understand. But of course also Mr.
Speranza must realize that the thing could not go on any further. Jane
was his daughter and her people were nice people, and naturally, that
being the case, her mother and he would be pretty particular as to who
she kept company with, to say nothing of marrying, which event was
not to be thought of for ten years, anyway. Now he didn't want to
be--er--personal or anything like that, and of course he wouldn't think
of saying that Mr. Speranza wasn't a nice enough man for--well, for--for
. . . You see, everybody wasn't as particular as he and Mrs. Snow were.
But--

Here Senor Speranza interrupted. He politely desired to know if the
person speaking was endeavoring to convey the idea that he, Miguel
Carlos Speranza, was not of sufficient poseetion, goodness, standing,
what it is? to be considered as suitor for that person's daughter's
hand. Did Meester Snow comprehend to whom he addressed himself?

The interview terminated not long after. The captain's parting remark
was in the nature of an ultimatum. It was to the effect that if
Speranza, or any other condemned undesirable like him, dared to so
much as look in the direction of Jane Olivia Snow, his daughter, he
personally would see that the return for that look was a charge of
buckshot. Speranza, white-faced and furiously gesticulative, commanded
the astonished bellboy to put that "Bah! pig-idiot!" out into the hall
and air the room immediately afterward.