Tree By Leaf Read Online Free PDF Page B

His gray eyes were always cold, like a November sky, but this was more, this was like ice on a frozen pond. Grandfather ate a roasted potato. He drank a sip of wine. He ate a tiny white onion, chewed it, and swallowed. He stared at Father and Father smiled. The only sound was the sound of Grandfather’s fork and knife, clinking on the china plate.
    “You know how I feel about you joining up,” Grandfather finally said. His thick gray eyebrows lowered when he was angry. They were low now. “One assumes that, not having completed your college education, the army doesn’t care to make you an officer.”
    “It’s the cavalry, actually, sir,” Father answered. He sounded as if he thought Grandfather was funny. “I’m taking Bucephalus.”
    Grandfather’s eyebrows sank lower still, and gathered themselves together over the bridge of his nose. “Are you informing me that you are going to give over to the armya horse for which I paid one thousand dollars? To be used as a battle mount? Do you mean to sit here and tell me that, as if it were something humorous?”
    “He’s intelligent and he trusts me absolutely. He’s the best choice. A horse like that—he may well save my life, sir.” As if he knew what Grandfather would say to that, Father went on. “You did give him to me.”
    “I don’t give gifts so they can be thrown away,” Grandfather said. “A fine hunter which can later be used to breed colts that others will be eager to own—that’s not the proper use of a good investment, giving it to the army.”
    “Cavalry,” Father corrected.
    Grandfather was eating, but only the aunts joined him. Mother sat twisting her napkin. Grandfather knew everyone was waiting for him to speak, so they would know what to say, but he chewed and thought. Clothilde wondered if he could make Father stay home, or tell him he had to take another horse. Bucephalus was big and dark, muscular and wild-looking, like a real war horse.
    Grandfather patted his mouth with his napkin, then placed it neatly beside his plate, to show he was finished eating. “What plans have you made for your family, Benjamin?” he asked.
    Father hadn’t expected that question, and neitherhad Mother, whose fingers stopped moving.
    “My family will remain here while I’m away,” Father said. “This is my home.”
    “This is
my
home,” Grandfather corrected him. “As long as you are living here, it is your home too.” He gave Father a minute to think about that. Now Grandfather was smiling. “If you leave home, I’m going to ask you to take your family with you.”
    “Don’t you think you’re being unreasonable?” Father asked Grandfather.
    Grandfather picked up his wine glass. The facets of the cut glass caught at the candlelights, flashing different colors, glassy red, glassy yellow, glassy green. Grandfather’s hand turned the glass around. “No, I don’t. In fact, I think I’ve been more than reasonable. Other men, if their sons, their only sons, ran off to marry some unsuitable woman, might refuse to have the woman or her children in the house. Other fathers might disown their sons. No, Benjamin, I don’t think you can tell me I’m unreasonable.”
    Father didn’t try to argue. “We’ll rent a house then, perhaps in Boston. My family can live there while I’m away.”
    “Live on what?” Grandfather asked, so pleasantly that it worried Clothilde.
    “There’s my share of the income from the trust fund that Mother left to her children,” Father reminded Grandfather.
    “I’m afraid that, as the only executor of that trust, I cannot permit the money to be used in that fashion. As sole executor, my decision would be that while you are away from home, and in no need of the money, all income should be held in the bank, earning interest, to await your return.”
    Aunt Leona smiled at Aunt Nora when Grandfather said that. Clothilde, looking at them, saw it. It was just a little smile, and Aunt Nora smiled a little cat smile back.