"What did you do when you went?"

"Various things. Shopped some, went to the theater occasionally, if
there happened to be anything on that I cared to see. Bought a good many
books. Saw the new Sargent pictures at the library. And--and--"

"And shook hands with your brother fossils at the museum, I suppose.
Wild life you lead, Kent. Did you visit anybody? Meet any friends or
acquaintances--any live ones?"

"Not many. I haven't many friends, Jim; you know that. As for the wild
life--well, I made two visits to New York this year."

"Yes," drily; "and we saw Sothern and Marlowe and had dinner at the
Holland. The rest of the time we talked shop. That was the first visit.
The second was more exciting still; we talked shop ALL the time and you
took the six o'clock train home again."

"You're wrong there. I saw the new loan collections at the Metropolitan
and heard Ysaye play at Carnegie Hall. I didn't start for home until the
next day."

"Is that so. That's news to me. You said you were going that afternoon.
That was to put the kibosh on my intention of taking you home to my wife
and her bridge party, I suppose. Was it?"

"Well--well, you see, Jim, I--I don't play bridge and I AM such a
stick in a crowd like that. I wanted to stay and you were mighty kind,
but--but--"