s, amused him. He leaned over the railing of the fountain in
the square with the idlers, and took a deep interest in the turtles,
who were baking their frescoed backs in the warm sun, as they floated
about on pine boards, amid the bubbles of the clear water.

As he passed by the library building, Dr. Buchlieber was standing in
the door. "Good luck," he said; "I was just wishing to see you. One of
our young women resigned this morning, and I think there may be a
chance for our handsome friend. The meeting, you remember, is this
afternoon."

Farnham hardly recalled the name of the young lady in whose success he
had been so interested, although recent intimate occurrences might have
been expected to fix it somewhat permanently in his remembrance. But
all female images except one had become rather vague in his memory. He
assented, however, to what the doctor proposed, and going away
congratulated himself on the possibility of doing Maud a service and
ridding himself of the faintest tinge of remorse. He was not fatuous or
conceited. He did not for a moment imagine that the girl was in love
with him. He attributed her demonstration in the rose-house to her
"congenital bad breeding," and thought it only one degree worse than
other match-making manoeuvres of which he had been the object in the
different worlds he had frequented. He gave himself no serious thought
about it, and yet he was glad to find an apparent opportunity to be of
use to her. She was poor and pretty. He had taken an interest in her
welfare. It had not turned out very well. She had flung herself into
his arms and been heartily kissed. He could not help feeling there was
a balance against him.

As he turned the corner of the street which led to the attorney's
office where he was going, he saw a man standing by the wall with his
hat off, bowing to him. He returned the unusual salutation and passed
on; it was some moments before he remembered that it was one of his
colleagues on the Library Board. He regretted not having stopped and
made the effort to engage his vote for Maud; but, on second thought, he
reflected that it would be as well to rely upon the surprise of the
three to prevent a combination at the meeting. When he reached the
entrance of the building where his lawyer's offices were, he turned,
with a sense of being pursued by a shuffling footstep which had
hastened its speed the last few paces, and saw his colleague coming up
the steps after him with