dandified."

It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer's final criticism
comprehended the architect as well as his design. Several
competitors--Littleton among them--had come in person to explain the
merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of solid,
red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have seemed a
dandy. He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive face and
intelligent brown eyes. He looked eager and interesting. In his case the
almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a suggestion of poetic
impulses. Yet the heritage of nervous energy was apparent. His
appearance conveyed the impression of quiet trigness and gentility. His
figure lent itself to his clothes, which were utterly inconspicuous,
judged by metropolitan standards, but flawless in the face of
hard-headed theories of life, and aroused suspicion. He spoke in a
gentle but earnest manner, pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the
merits of his composition.

Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed that
from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as though his
words were intended for her special benefit. She had never read the
lines--indeed they had not been written--

"I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you."

Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in her
thought. Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been starving for
lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was the sort of man she
had hoped to meet--the sort of man who could appreciate her and whom she
could appreciate.