"He will not do that until he is no longer needed," said Christine.

"Then he may as soon as he chooses," said Miss Brown. She was a girl
of violent prejudices, and from her very nature would instinctively
dislike such a person as Dennis Fleet.

"Well," said Miss Winthrop, "he is a gentleman, and he gave the
strongest proof of it when he quietly and modestly withdrew after
achieving a success that would have turned any one's head, and that
ought to have secured him full recognition."

"I told you he was a gentleman," said Christine, briefly, "and I
consider myself a judge;" and then their voices passed out of hearing.

Dennis, having arranged everything so that he could place his hands
readily upon it, found that he had half an hour to spare. He said to
himself: "Miss Ludolph is wrong. I shall leave the house for a short
time. I am a most unromantic individual; for, no matter what or how
I feel, I do get hungry. But I am sure Miss Brown's coffee and
sandwiches would choke me. I have already swallowed too much from her
to care for any more, so here's for a restaurant."

Miss Winthrop hastened through her toilet in order that she might come
down and speak to Dennis while he was alone. She wished to thank him
for his course and his vindication of the truth, and to assure him
that she both respected him and would treat him as a true gentleman.
She went into the back parlor, but he was not there; then she passed
to the dining-room, but found only servants clearing away and preparing
for the grand supper of the evening.