find at Homburg, and that generally
speaking is a widow. Her chief sorrow was for society--that in him was
losing an ornament. She explained to him how an accomplished and
experienced woman could help a man to gain admittance into the tiptop
circles, which, according to her, were just thirsting for him. As a
waiter, he had his share of brains, and it's a business that requires
more insight than perhaps you'd fancy, if you don't want to waste your
time on a rabbit-skin coat and a paste ring, and give the burnt sole to
the real gent. But in the hands of this swell mob he was, of course,
just the young man from the country; and the end of it was that he played
the game down pretty low.

"She--not the Countess, I shouldn't like you to have that idea, but his
wife--came to be pretty friendly with my missus later on, and that's how
I got to know the details. He comes to her one day looking pretty
sheepish-like, as one can well believe, and maybe he'd been drinking a
bit to give himself courage.

"'We ain't been getting along too well together of late, have we, Susan?'
says he.

"'We ain't seen much of one another,' she answers; 'but I agree with you,
we don't seem to enjoy it much when we do.'

"'It ain't your fault,' says he.

"'I'm glad you think that,' she answers; 'it shows me you ain't quite as
foolish as I was beginning to think you.'

"'Of course, I didn't know when I married you,' he goes on, 'as I was
going to come into this money.'

"'No, nor I either,' says she, 'or you bet it wouldn't have happened.'

"'It seems to have been a bit of a mistake,' says he, 'as things have
turned out.'

"'It would have been a mistake, and more than a bit of a one in any
case,' answers she.

"'I'm glad you agree with me,' says he; 'there'll be no need to quarrel.'

"'I've always tried to agree with you,' says she. 'We've never
quarrelled yet, and that ought to be sufficient proof to you that we
never shall.'

"'It's a mistake that can be rectified,' says he, 'if you are sensible,
and that without any harm to anyone.'

"'Oh!' says she, 'it must be a new sort of mistake, that kind.'

"'We're not fitted for one another,' says he.

"'Out with it,' says she. 'Don't you be afraid of my feelings; they are
well under control, as I think I can fairly say by this time.'

"'With a man in your own station of life,' says he, 'you'd be happier.'

"'There's many a man I might have been happier with,' replies she. 'That