, "You forgot to ask him if
we might BREATHE, poppa," and paced out of the room in stately scorn,
followed by Boyne, who had apparently no words at the command of his
dumb rage. Kenton wished to remain, and he looked at his wife for
instruction. She frowned, and he took this for a sign that he had better
go, and he went with a light sigh.

He did not know what else to do with himself, and he went down to the
reading-room. He found Bittridge there, smoking a cigar, and the young
man companionably offered to bestow one upon him; but the judge stiffly
refused, saying he did not wish to smoke just then. He noted that
Bittridge was still in his character of family favorite, and his hand
trembled as he passed it over the smooth knob of his stick, while he
sat waiting for the fellow to take himself away. But Bittridge had
apparently no thought of going. He was looking at the amusements for the
evening in a paper he had bought, and he wished to consult the judge as
to which was the best theatre to go to that night; he said he wanted to
take his mother. Kenton professed not to know much about the New York
theatres, and then Bittridge guessed he must get the clerk to tell him.
But still he did not part with the judge. He sat down beside him, and
told him how glad he was to see his family looking so well, especially
Miss Ellen; he could not remember ever seeing her so strong-looking. He
said that girl had captured his mother, who was in love with pretty much
the whole Kenton family, though.

"And by-the-way," he added, "I want to thank you and Mrs. Kenton, judge,
for the way you received my mother. You made her feel that she was among
friends. She can't talk about anything else, and I guess I sha'n't have
much trouble in making her stay in New York as long as you're here. She
was inclined to be homesick. The fact is, though I don't care to have it
talked about yet, and I wish you wouldn't say anything to Dick about it
when you write home, I think of settling in New York. I've been offered
a show in the advertising department of one of the big dailies--I'm not
at liberty to say which--and it's a toss-up whether I stay here or go to
Washington; I've got a chance there, too, but it's on the staff of a new
enterprise, and I'm not sure about it. I've brought my mother along to
let her have a look at both places, though she doesn't know it, and I'd
rather you wouldn't speak of it before her; I'm going to take her on to
Washington befor