“Doubtful strain of commendation,” said Winthrop.  “What has brought you to Mannahatta?”

“But Winthrop, this is a new fancy of yours?”

“No, not very.”

“How long since?”

“Since what?”

“Since you gave up all the good things of this life?”

“A man can only give up what he has,” said Winthrop.  “Those I delivered into your hands some ten minutes ago.”

“But tea and coffee —­ You used to drink them?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you?”

“For a variety of reasons, satisfactory to my own mind.”

“And have you abjured butter too?”

“I am sorry, Will,” said Winthrop smiling a little, —­ “I will try to have some butter for you to-morrow.”

“Don’t you eat it in ordinary?”

“Always, when I can get it.  What has brought you to Mannahatta?”

“What do you think?”

“Some rash scheme or resolution.”

“Why?”

“From my judgment of your character, which might be stated as the converse of that just now so happily applied to me.”

“And do natures the opposite of that never act otherwise than rashly?”

“I hope so; for as the coolest are sometimes excited, so the hot may be sometimes cool.”

“And don’t I look cool?”

“You did when you came in,” said Winthrop.

“I should think living on bread and milk might help that, in ordinary,” said Rufus.  “Just in my present condition it has rather a different effect.  Well Governor, I’ve come to Mannahatta —­”

“I see that,” said Winthrop.

“I’ll thank you not to interrupt me.  I’ve come to Mannahatta —­ on a piece of business.”

Winthrop waited, and Rufus after another cut of the bread and meat, went on.

“Governor, I’m going to quit engineering and take to another mode of making money.”

“Have you done with your last piece of work at the West?”

“No —­ I’m going back there to finish it.  O, I’m going back there —­ I’ve only come here now to sign some papers and make some arrangements; I shall come finally, I suppose, about May, or April.  I’ve been corresponding with Haye lately.”

“About what?”

“About this!  What should I correspond with him about?  By the way, what an infernal piece of folly this marriage is!”

“Not mixed up with your business, is it?”

“No, of course; how should it? but I am tremendously surprised.  Aren’t you?”

“People of my temperament never are, you know.”

“People of your temperament —­ have a corner for their thoughts,” said Rufus.  “Well, there’s one chance gone for you, Governor.”

“Which it does not appear that I ever had.”

“No indeed, that’s very true.  Well, about my business. —­ Haye has advocated my leaving the country and coming here.  And he knows what he is about, Winthrop; he is a capital man of business.  He says he can put me in a way of doing well for myself in a very short time here, and he recommended my coming.”