CHAPTER IV


Mrs. Bowse's boarding-house began to be even better pleased with him
than before. He had stories to tell, festivities to describe, and
cheerful incidents to recount. The boarders assisted vicariously at
weddings and wedding receptions, afternoon teas and dances, given in
halls. "Up-town" seemed to them largely given to entertainment and
hilarity of an enviably prodigal sort. Mrs. Bowse's guests were not
of the class which entertains or is entertained, and the details of
banquets and ball-dresses and money-spending were not uncheering
material for conversation. Such topics suggested the presence and
dispensing of a good deal of desirable specie, which in floating
about might somehow reach those who needed it most. The impression
was that T. Tembarom was having "a good time." It was not his way to
relate any incidents which were not of a cheering or laughter-
inspiring nature. He said nothing of the times when his luck was bad,
when he made blunders, and, approaching the wrong people, was met
roughly or grudgingly, and found no resource left but to beat a
retreat. He made no mention of his experiences in the blizzard, which
continued, and at times nearly beat breath and life out of him as he
fought his way through it. Especially he told no story of the morning
when, after having labored furiously over the writing of his "stuff"
until long after midnight, he had taken it to Galton, and seen his
face fall as he looked over it. To battle all day with a blizzard and
occasional brutal discouragements, and to sit up half the night
tensely absorbed in concentrating one's whole mental equipment upon
the doing of unaccustomed work has its effect. As he waited, Tembarom
unconsciously shifted from one foot to another, and had actually to
swallow a sort of lump in his throat.