Mr. Merkle grunted, "So would I."

She smiled sweetly. "You see, we're both unpleasant people."

Merkle meditated in silence while she attacked her food with a
healthy, youthful appetite that awoke his envy.

"I suppose you see a lot of this sort of thing?" he at length
suggested.

"There's something of the kind nearly every night. Is this your
first experience?"

"Um-m--no. Steel men are notoriously sporty when they get away
from home. But I don't go out often."

"This party isn't as bad as some, for the very reason that most of
the men are from out of town and it's a bit of a novelty to them.
But there's a crowd of regular New-Yorkers--the younger men-about-
town--" She paused significantly. "I accepted one invitation from
them."

"Only one?"

"It was quite enough."

"I've traveled some," observed Merkle, "but this city is getting
to be the limit."