But he's
been all his life in society, and he knows just what to
say and what to do, and he can talk about the things
that society people like to talk about, and you--can't."
Lapham gave a furious snort. "And does that make him
any better?"
"No. But it puts him where he can make the advances
without demeaning himself, and it puts you where you
can't. Now, look here, Silas Lapham! You understand this
thing as well as I do. You know that I appreciate you,
and that I'd sooner die than have you humble yourself
to a living soul. But I'm not going to have you coming
to me, and pretending that you can meet Bromfield Corey
as an equal on his own ground. You can't. He's got
a better education than you, and if he hasn't got more
brains than you, he's got different. And he and his wife,
and their fathers and grandfathers before 'em, have always
had a high position, and you can't help it. If you want
to know them, you've got to let them make the advances.
If you don't, all well and good."
"I guess," said the chafed and vanquished Colonel,
after a moment for swallowing the pill, "that they'd
have been in a pretty fix if you'd waited to let them
make the advances last summer."
"That was a different thing altogether. I didn't
know who they were, or may be I should have waited.
But all I say now is that if you've got young Corey
into business with you, in hopes of our getting into
society with his father, you better ship him at once.
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