related the adventure. Armorer fell back with Mrs. Ellis.
"Did you stay with Esther every minute?" said he.
Mrs. Ellis nodded. She opened her lips to speak, then closed
them and walked ahead to Harry Lossing. Armorer looked--
suspicion of a dozen kinds gnawing him and insinuating that the three
all seemed agitated--from Harry to Esther, and then to Shuey.
But he kept his thoughts to himself and was very agreeable
the remainder of the afternoon.

He heard Harry tell Mrs. Ellis that the city council would meet
that evening; before, however, Armorer could feel exultant he added,
"but may I come late?"

"He is certainly the coolest beggar," Armorer snarled,
"but he is sharp as a nigger's razor, confound him!"

Naturally this remark was a confidential one to himself.

He thought it more times than one during the evening,
and by consequence played trumps with equal disregard of the laws
of the noble game of whist and his partner's feelings.
He found a few, a very few, elderly people who remembered his parent,
and they will never believe ill of Horatio Armorer, who talked
so simply and with so much feeling of old times, and who is going
to give a memorial window in the new Presbyterian church.
He was beginning to think with some interest of supper,
the usual dinner of the family having been sacrificed to
the demands of state; then he saw Harry Lossing. The young
mayor's blond head was bowing before his sister's black velvet.
He caught Armorer's eye and followed him out to the lawn