ible that very many things set forth
in this narrative would not have happened.

* * * * *

Life had always been made easy for John Lenox, and his was not the
temperament to interpose obstacles to the process. A course at Andover
had been followed by two years at Princeton; but at the end of the
second year it had occurred to him that practical life ought to begin
for him, and he had thought it rather fine of himself to undertake a
clerkship in the office of Rush & Co., where in the ensuing year and a
half or so, though he took his work in moderation, he got a fair
knowledge of accounts and the ways and methods of "the Street." But that
period of it was enough. He found himself not only regretting the
abandonment of his college career, but feeling that the thing for which
he had given it up had been rather a waste of time. He came to the
conclusion that, though he had entered college later than most, even now
a further acquaintance with text-books and professors was more to be
desired than with ledgers and brokers. His father (somewhat to his
wonderment, and possibly a little to his chagrin) seemed rather to
welcome the suggestion that he spend a couple of years in Europe, taking
some lectures at Heidelberg or elsewhere, and traveling; and in the
course of that time he acquired a pretty fair working acquaintance with
German, brought his knowledge of French up to about the same point, and
came back at the end of two years with a fine and discriminating taste
in beer, and a scar over his left eyebrow which could be seen if
attention were called to it.

He started upon his return without any definite intentions or for any
special reason, except that he had gone away for two years and that the
two years were up. He had carried on a desultory correspondence with his
father, who had replied occasionally, rather briefly, but on the whole
affectionately. He had noticed that during the latter part of his stay
abroad the replies had been more than usually irregular, but had
attributed no special significance to the fact. It was not until
afterward that it occurred to him that in all their correspondence his
father had never alluded in any way to his return.

On the passenger list of the Altruria John came upon the names of Mr.
and Mrs. Julius Carling and Miss Blake.

"Blake, Blake," he said to himself. "Carling--I seem to remember to have
known that name at some time. It must be little Mary Bla