which the authors since becoming famous had gone to a good deal of time and expense to suppress.  The world seems to experience a lively pleasure in holding a man to his early follies.  There were many examples of superb binding, especially of exquisite tooling on hog-skin covers—­the appreciation of which has lately greatly revived.  The recent rage for bindings has been a sore trouble to students and collectors in special lines, raising the prices of books far beyond their intrinsic value.  I had a charming afternoon in Henderson’s library, an enjoyment not much lessened at the time by experiencing in it, with him, rather a sense of luxury than of learning.  It is true, one might pass an hour altogether different in the garret of a student, and come away with quite other impressions of the pageant of life.

At five o’clock his stylish trap was sent around from the boarding stable, and we drove in the Park till twilight.  Henderson handling the reins, and making a part of that daily display which is too heterogeneous to have distinction, reverted quite naturally to the tone of worldliness and tolerant cynicism which had characterized his conversation in the morning.  If the Park and the moving assemblage had not the air of distinction, it had that of expense, which is quite as attractive to many.  Here, as downtown, my companion seemed to know and be known by everybody, returning the familiar salutes of brokers and club men, receiving gracious bows from stout matrons, smiles and nods from pretty women, and more formal recognition from stately and stiff elderly men, who sat bolt-upright beside their wives and tried to look like millionaires.  For every passerby Henderson had a quick word of characterization sufficiently amusing, and about many a story which illuminated the social life of the day.  It was wonderful how many of this chance company had little “histories”—­comic, tragic, pitiful, interesting enough for the pages of a novel.

“There is a young lady”—­Henderson touched his hat, and I caught a glimpse of golden hair and a flash of dark eyes out of a mass of furs —­“who has no history:  the world is all before her.”

“Who is that?”

“The daughter of old Eschelle—­Carmen Eschelle—­the banker and politician, you remember; had a diplomatic position abroad, and the girl was educated in Europe.  She is very clever.  She and her mother have more money than they ought to know what to do with.”

“That was the celebrated Jay Hawker” ( a moment after), “in the modest coupe—­not much display about him.”

“Is he recognized by respectable people?”

“Recognized?” Henderson laughed.  “He’s a power.  There are plenty of people who live by trying to guess what he is going to do.  Hawker isn’t such a bad fellow.  Other people have used the means he used to get rich and haven’t succeeded.  They are not held up to point a moral.  The trouble is that Hawker succeeded.  Of course, it’s a game.  He plays as fair as anybody.”