Coming out of church the next Sunday, Peter was laid hold of by the
Bohlmanns and carried off to a mid-day dinner, at which were a lot of
pleasant Germans, who made it very jolly with their kindly humor. He did
not contribute much to the laughter, but every one seemed to think him
an addition to the big table.

Thus it came to pass that late in January Peter dedicated a week of
evenings to "Society," and nightly donning his dress suit, called
dutifully on Mrs. Dupont, Mrs. Sizer, Mrs. Purple, Mrs. Avery, Mrs.
Costell, Mrs. Gallagher and Mrs. Bohlmann. Peter was becoming very
frivolous.




CHAPTER XXVI.

AN EVENING CALL.


But Peter's social gadding did not end with these bread-and-butter
calls. One afternoon in March, he went into the shop of a famous
picture-dealer, to look over an exhibition then advertised, and had
nearly finished his patient examination of each picture, which always
involved quite as much mental gymnastics as aesthetic pleasure to Peter,
when he heard a pleasant:

"How do you do, Mr. Stirling?"

Turning, he found Miss De Voe and a well-dressed man at his elbow.