“Oh, well,” said the young man, “if you choose to take my remarks in that way, I presume you are at liberty to do so; but I am sure you are misunderstanding me.”

“I don’t see how it is possible to misunderstand anything that is said so very distinctly:  you lawyers have a faculty, Mr. Bartram, of saying exactly what you mean—­when you choose to.”

“Well, I can’t deny that I meant exactly what I said.”

“But you can at least change the subject, can’t you?”

“Certainly, if you insist upon it; but the subject has been interesting me considerably of late, and I am really wondering whether my estimable friend, the judge, and his no less estimable wife may not be making a mistake which their daughter would be the most effective person in rectifying.”

“You do me altogether too much honor, sir.  Suppose you attempt to rectify their mistakes yourself, since you seem so positive about their existence.  To give you an opportunity of preparing yourself to do so, I will bid you good day.”  Saying which, the young woman abruptly turned into the residence of an acquaintance to make an afternoon call, leaving the young man rather more disconcerted than he would have liked to admit to any of his acquaintances.

He retraced his steps, moodily muttering to himself, and apparently arguing also, for the forefinger of one hand was occasionally touching the palm of the other, and, apparently without knowing in what direction he was walking, he found himself opposite the shop of the shoemaker who had been the indirect cause of his quarrel with his sweetheart.

“Confound that fellow!” muttered Bartram, “he’s in my way wherever I move.  I’ve heard too much of him in the stores and the courts and everywhere else that I have been obliged to go.  I have to hear of him at the residence of my own sweetheart whenever I call there, and now I find Eleanor herself, who has never been able to endure any of the commoner specimens of humanity, apparently taking up the cudgels in his defence.  I wish I could understand the fascination that fellow exerts over a number of people so much better than himself.  Hang it!  I am going to find out.  He is a fool, if ever there was one, and I am not.  If I can’t get at the secret of it, it will be the first time that I have ever been beaten in examining and cross-examining such a common specimen of humanity.”

Thus speaking, the lawyer crossed the street and entered the shop, but, to his disgust, found both the cobbler’s sons there with their father.  The boys, with a curiosity common to all very young people, and particularly intense among the classes who have nothing in particular to think of, stared at him so fixedly that he finally rose abruptly and departed without saying a word.  The boys went out soon after, and Billy remarked to Tom, as the two sauntered homeward,—­

“Tom, what do you s’pose is the reason that feller comes in to see dad so much?”