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diff --git a/old/54660.txt b/old/54660.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3e2cb55..0000000 --- a/old/54660.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4452 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Disagreeable Woman, by Horatio Alger - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Disagreeable Woman - A Social Mystery - - -Author: Horatio Alger - - - -Release Date: May 4, 2017 [eBook #54660] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN*** - - -E-text prepared by David Edwards, Martin Pettit, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by the Google Books Library Project -(https://books.google.com) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - the Google Books Library Project. See - https://books.google.com/books?id=X-hEAQAAMAAJ&hl=en - - - +------------------------------------------------------+ - |Transcriber's note: | - | | - |The book, "Ships That Pass in the Night", | - |by Beatrice Harraden, mentioned in the forenote, | - |is available at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12476 | - | | - +------------------------------------------------------+ - - - - - -THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN. - -A Social Mystery. - -by - -JULIAN STARR. - - -"Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, -Our fatal shadows that walk by us still." - --_Fletcher._ - - - - - - -[Illustration: Logo] - -New York: -Copyright, 1895, by -G. W. Dillingham, Publisher, -Successor to G. W. Carleton & Co. -MDCCCXCV. - -[All Rights Reserved.] - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -Chapter Page - I. A Social Mystery 7 - - II. The Mystery Deepens 13 - - III. Prof. Poppendorf 19 - - IV. Prof. Poppendorf's Lecture 29 - - V. A Conversation with the Disagreeable Woman 41 - - VI. Count Penelli 50 - - VII. Macy's 61 - - VIII. The Professor in Love 71 - - IX. An Evening at the Boarding-House 82 - - X. A Rustic Admirer 93 - - XI. A Poor Patient 104 - - XII. The Disagreeable Woman in a New Light 112 - - XIII. Mrs. Wyman's Curiosity 117 - - XIV. The Quality of Mercy 122 - - XV. The Professor's Courtship 128 - - XVI. Sits the Wind in that Quarter? 139 - - XVII. My Rich Patient 150 - -XVIII. The Professor's Book 156 - - XIX. A Speech from the Throne 162 - - XX. A Startling Discovery 169 - - XXI. After Three Months 174 - - XXII. I Appeal to the Disagreeable Woman 181 - -XXIII. At Last 185 - - XXIV. The Light of Hope 189 - - - - -TO MY READERS. - - -In reading Miss Harraden's charming idyl "Ships That Pass in the Night," -it occurred to me that if there were Disagreeable Men there are also -Disagreeable Women. Hence this story. - - - - -THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A SOCIAL MYSTERY. - - -"If I live till next July, I shall be twenty-nine years old," simpered -the young widow, and she looked around the table, as if to note the -effect of such an incredible statement. - -"You look much older," said the Disagreeable Woman, looking up from her -tea and buttered toast. - -There was a general silence, and the boarders noted with curiosity the -effect of this somewhat unceremonious remark. - -Mrs. Wyman, the young widow, flushed and directed an angry and scornful -look at the last speaker. - -"I am sure I am very much obliged to you," she said. - -"You are quite welcome," said the Disagreeable Woman, calmly. - -"You look older than I do," said the widow, sharply. - -"Very possibly," said the Disagreeable Woman, not at all excited. - -"Do you mind telling us how old you are?" - -"Not at all! I have reached the age--" - -All bent forward to listen. Why is it that we take so much interest in -the ages of our acquaintances? There was evidently a strong desire to -learn the age of the Disagreeable Woman. But she disappointed the -general expectation. - -"I have reached the age of discretion," she continued, finishing the -sentence. - -"Who is that woman?" I asked my next neighbor, for I was a new comer at -Mrs. Gray's table. - -"Wait till after breakfast and I will tell you," he answered. - -Mrs. Gray kept a large boarding-house on Waverley Place. Some fifteen -boarders were gathered about the large table. I may have occasion to -refer to some of them later. But first I will speak of myself. - -I was a young medical practitioner, who after practising for a year in a -Jersey village had come to New York in quest of a metropolitan practise -and reputation. I was not quite penniless, having five hundred dollars -left over from the legacy of an old aunt, the rest of which had been -used to defray the expenses of my education. I had not yet come to -realize how small a sum this was for a professional start in the city. I -had hired an office, provided with a cabinet bedstead, and thus saved -room rent. For table board I had been referred to Mrs. Gray's -boarding-house, on Waverley Place. - -"I boarded there once," said the friend who recommended me, "and found -not only a fair table but a very social and entertaining family of -boarders. They were of all classes," he continued, "from literateurs to -dry goods clerks, school-teachers, actors, and broken-down -professionals." - -This description piqued my curiosity, and I enrolled myself as one of -Mrs. Gray's boarders, finding her terms not beyond my modest means. - -But in his list of boarders he forgot--the Disagreeable Woman, who must -have come after his departure. - -She was tall, inclined to be slender, with a keen face and singular -eyes. She never seemed to be excited, but was always calm and -self-possessed. She seemed to have keen insight into character, and as -may already be inferred, of remarkable and even perhaps rude plainness -of speech. Yet though she said sharp things she never seemed actuated by -malice or ill-nature. She did not converse much, but was always ready to -rebuke pretension and humbug as in the case of the young widow. What she -said of her was quite correct. I judged from her appearance that Mrs. -Wyman must be at least thirty-five years old, and possibly more. She -evidently did not intend to remain a widow longer than was absolutely -necessary. - -She paid attention to every male boarder at the table, neglecting none. -She even made overtures to Prof. Poppendorf, a learned German, with a -deep bass voice and a German accent, whose green goggles and shaggy -hair, somewhat grizzled, made him a picturesque personality. - -We all enjoyed the rebuff which Mrs. Wyman received from the -Disagreeable Woman, though it made us slightly afraid of her lest our -turns might come next. - -But I am keeping my readers from my friend's promised account of the -lady who had excited my curiosity. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE MYSTERY DEEPENS. - - -"The first time I met the Disagreeable Woman," said my neighbor, who was -a commercial traveler, "was on my return from a business trip. Looking -about the table to see what changes had occurred in the family, I saw -sitting opposite to me a woman of somewhat unusual appearance, whose -caustic speech made her feared by the rest of the boarders. This was -three months since." - -"What is her name?" I asked. - -"Upon my word," he answered reflectively, "I am so accustomed to hear -her spoken of as the Disagreeable Woman that I hardly remember. Let me -see--yes, it is Blagden." - -"And the first name?" - -"Jane." - -"Is it Miss or Mrs. Blagden?" - -"I don't know." - -"She has been here three months and you do not know," I said, in -surprise. - -"Precisely." - -"Did it never occur to any one to ask her?" - -"Yes, Mrs. Wyman asked her one day." - -"And what did she reply?" - -"Whichever you please--it is quite immaterial." - -"Do you think she has any reason to maintain secrecy on this point?" - -"I think not. She probably takes the ground that it is nobody's business -but her own." - -"How soon did she obtain her designation of the 'Disagreeable Woman?'" - -"Almost immediately I judge. When I first met her she had been a member -of Mrs. Gray's household for a week, and already this was the way she -was spoken of." - -"I suppose she does not live in the house?" - -"No." - -"Where then?" - -"No one knows. She comes to her meals punctually, turning into Waverley -Place from Broadway." - -"Has no one ever thought of following her home?" - -"Yes. A young broker's clerk, on a wager, attempted to track her to her -lodging place. She was sharp enough to detect his purpose. When they -reached Broadway she turned suddenly and confronted him. 'Are you going -up or down Broadway?' she asked. 'Up Broadway,' he answered with some -hesitation, 'Then good evening! I go in the opposite direction.' Of -course there was nothing for him to do but to accept the hint, which was -certainly pointed enough." - -"She must be a woman with a history," I said, thoughtfully. - -"Most women have histories." - -"But not out of the common." - -"True. What now do you conjecture as to Miss Blagden's history?" - -"I am utterly at a loss." - -"Do you think she has had a disappointment?" - -"She does not look impressionable. One cannot conceive of her as having -an affair of the heart." - -"I don't know. One cannot always judge by the exterior." - -"Do you think she has any employment?" - -"If so, no one has been able to conjecture what it is." - -"To me she seems like an advocate of Woman's Rights, perhaps a lecturer -on that subject." - -"Possibly, but I know of nothing to throw light on her business or her -views." - -"Do you think she is a woman of means?" - -"Ah," said my friend, smiling, "you are really beginning to show -interest in her. I believe you are unmarried?" - -The suggestion was grotesque and I could not help smiling. - -"I should pity the man who married the 'Disagreeable Woman,'" I made -answer. - -"I don't know. She is not beautiful, certainly, nor attractive, but I -don't think she is as ill-natured as she appears." - -"Is this conjecture on your part?" - -"Not wholly. Did you notice the young woman who sat on her left?" - -"Yes." - -"We know her as the young woman from Macy's. Well, a month since she was -sick for a week, and unable to pay her board. She occupies a hall -bed-room on the upper floor. Miss Blagden guessed her trouble, and as -she left the table on Saturday night put into her hands an envelope -without a word. When it was opened it proved to contain ten dollars, -sufficient to pay two weeks' board." - -"Come, there seems to be something human about the Disagreeable Woman." - -"Just so. To us it was a revelation. But she would not allow herself to -be thanked." - -"That last piece of information interests me. My office practise at -present is very limited, and I find my small capital going fast. I may -need the good office of Miss Blagden." - -"I hope not, but I must leave you. My employers have sent me an -orchestra ticket to Palmer's theatre." - -"I hope you will enjoy yourself." - -So we parted company. I went to my office, and spent a part of the -evening in searching among my medical books for some light on a case -that had baffled me. But from time to time my attention was distracted -by thoughts of the Disagreeable Woman. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -PROF. POPPENDORF. - - -Dinner was nearly over. The dessert had been succeeded by a dish of -withered russet apples, when Mrs. Gray, leaning forward a little, said: -"If the boarders will kindly remain a short time, Prof. Poppendorf has -an interesting communication to make." - -The learned professor cleared his throat, removed his goggles for an -instant, and after wiping them carefully with a red silk handkerchief, -replaced them on a nose of large proportions. - -"My friends," he said, "on Thursday next I am to deliver a lecture at -Schiller Hall, on Second Avenue, and I hope I may have the honor of -seeing you all present. The tickets are fifty cents." - -"May I ask the subject of your lecture, Professor?" asked Mrs. Wyman, -with an appearance of interest. - -"I shall lecture on 'The Material and the Immaterial,'" answered the -Professor, in a deep bass voice. - -The boarders looked puzzled. The announcement of the subject did not -seem to excite interest. - -"Shall you treat the subject in a popular manner, Prof. Poppendorf?" -asked the Disagreeable Woman, in a tone that did not necessarily suggest -sarcasm. - -Prof. Poppendorf seemed puzzled. - -"I do not know!" he answered, "if it will be popular--I hope it will be -instructive." - -"Will there be any jokes in it, Professor?" asked Sam Lindsay, a -vocalist from an uptown Dime Museum. - -"Jokes!" repeated the Professor, evidently scandalized. "It would not -be appropriate. The subject is metaphysical. If you want jokes you must -go to the variety theatre." - -"True," said Lindsay, "or to the Dime Museums. We've got a man at our -place who will make you split your sides laughing." - -"I have here some tickets," continued the Professor, "some tickets which -I shall be glad to dispose of in advance," and he drew out a package of -perhaps twenty-five. "Miss Blagden, I hope you will patronize me." - -"You may give me two," said the Disagreeable Woman, drawing a dollar -bill from her pocket, and passing it to the Professor. - -"You take two tickets?" said Mrs. Wyman, with a knowing smile. "I -suppose there is a gentleman in the case." - -"You are mistaken," said the Disagreeable Woman, quietly. - -"You don't want both tickets for yourself, surely?" - -"No, I shall use neither of them." - -"You will give them away, then?" - -"I do not think so." - -"Why, then--" - -"Why then do I buy them? Out of compliment to our friend, Prof. -Poppendorf, who, I hope, will win a success." - -"I thank you," said the Professor, "but I should be glad to have you -honor my lecture with your presence." - -"I feel no particular interest in 'The Material and the Immaterial,'" -said Mrs. Blagden. "Besides I am not sure whether I should get any -clearer ideas respecting them from attending your lecture." - -"You do not flatter the Professor," said Mrs. Wyman, appearing shocked. - -"No, I never flatter any one. Why should I?" returned the Disagreeable -Woman. - -"I like to be flattered," said the widow, simpering. "I like to be told -that I am young and charming." - -"Even if you are not." - -Mrs. Wyman colored, and looked annoyed. She evidently did not care to -continue her conversation with the Disagreeable Woman. - -"Professor Poppendorf," she said, "will you allow me to suggest -something which will enable you to sell a good many tickets?" - -"I should be very glad to hear," said the Professor, eagerly. - -"Get Chauncey M. Depew to preside, and introduce you to the audience." - -"I did ask him, but he could not come. He is engaged to preside at a -dinner given to the Yale Football Team." - -"Does Mr. Depew kick football?" asked the young woman from Macy's. - -"I think not," I ventured to say. "Gentlemen over forty seldom indulge -in athletics." - -"I am so sorry you can't get Mr. Depew," said Mrs. Wyman. "I should so -like to hear him." - -"You will hear _me_," said Prof. Poppendorf, with dignity, "if you will -kindly buy a ticket." - -Mrs. Wyman looked embarrassed. She had a fair income, but carried -economy to a fine point. - -"Perhaps," she said, with a hesitating glance at the person of whom she -spoke, "Miss Blagden will give me one of her tickets, as she does not -intend to use either." - -"That wouldn't help the Professor," said Miss Blagden, quietly. "You had -better buy one of him." - -The Professor evidently approved this suggestion. - -Mrs. Wyman reluctantly drew from her pocket forty-five cents in change, -and tendered it to the Professor. - -"I will owe you a nickel," she said. - -"You can pay it any time, my dear lady," said the Professor, politely, -as he passed a ticket to the widow. - -Nearly all at the table took tickets, but the young woman from Macy's -was not of the number. The price was small, but she needed gloves, and -could not spare even fifty cents. - -"Prof. Poppendorf," said a young man, who was attached as a reporter to -one of the great morning dailies, "did I not hear you say once that you -knew Bismarck?" - -"Ah! yes," said the Professor, "I was at the University with Bismarck." - -"How nice!" said Mrs. Wyman, with girlish enthusiasm. "It must have been -a great privilege." - -"I don't know," said Prof. Poppendorf, deliberately. "Bismarck was not a -great student. He would not study. Bismarck was wild." - -"Did he drink beer?" asked the widow. - -"Of course," answered the Professor, surprised; "why should he not? I -drank beer myself." - -"Is it possible? I would not have believed it. Fie, Professor!" - -"Beer is a very good thing," said the Professor, gravely. "There were -not many of the students who could drink as much as Bismarck." - -"And did Bismarck care for young ladies?" - -"I should think so. I had a duel with Bismarck myself about a young -_maedchen_." - -More than one of the boarders smiled. It was so difficult to associate -the gray old Professor with anything that savored of gallantry. - -"Oh, yes," he continued, "Bismarck was the devil among the girls." - -"Oh, Professor, I am shocked! You should not use such a word as devil at -the table." - -"What, then, do you call him?" asked Prof. Poppendorf. - -"He is not mentioned in polite society. But tell us about the duel--were -you wounded?" - -"You see that scar," said the Professor, pointing to a slight -disfigurement of his left cheek. "That was given me by Bismarck." - -"Oh, how interesting! It is almost like seeing Bismarck himself." - -"Prof. Poppendorf," said the Disagreeable Woman, "why do you not lecture -on Bismarck, instead of the dry subject you have announced?" - -"You admire Bismarck, then, my dear lady?" - -"Not at all." - -"But I don't understand." - -"The people are interested in him. They don't care for the 'Material and -the Immaterial.'" - -"That is a good suggestion, Professor," said the widow. "I would much -rather hear about Bismarck. _I_ admire him. Why do you not, Miss -Blagden?" - -"Because he was a second-hand autocrat," said the Disagreeable Woman. - -"Again I do not understand," said the Professor. - -"He was the servant of the Emperor. His authority did not come from the -people." - -There was some further conversation, and Prof. Poppendorf promised that -his next lecture should be upon Bismarck. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -PROF. POPPENDORF'S LECTURE. - - -We all sat at supper on Thursday evening. There was a general air of -expectation. It was on this evening that Prof. Poppendorf was to give -his lecture. We all gazed at him with more than ordinary interest. The -old Professor, gray and grim-visaged, sat more than usually erect, and -his manner and bearing were marked by unusual dignity. He felt himself -to be the hero of the hour. - -I have neglected to say that Mrs. Wyman had been transferred to the seat -adjoining mine. As she could not do without masculine attention I -suspect that this arrangement was prompted by herself. Henceforth I was -favored with the greater part of her conversation. - -"I am quite looking forward to Prof. Poppendorf's lecture!" she said. -"You are going, are you not?" - -"I think so, but I can't say I am looking forward to it. I fancy it will -be dry and difficult to understand." - -"You think he is a learned man, do you not?" - -"Very probably--in certain directions." - -"Dr. Fenwick, I am going to ask a favor of you." - -"I hope it isn't money," thought I, "for I was beginning to have some -anxiety about my steadily dwindling bank account." - -"Name it, Mrs. Wyman," I said, somewhat nervously. - -"I am almost ashamed to say it, but I don't like to go to the lecture -alone. Would you mind giving me your escort?" - -"With pleasure," I answered. - -My answer was not quite truthful, for I had intended to ask the young -woman from Macy's to accompany me. She was not intellectual, but she had -a fresh, country face and complexion; she came from Pomfret, -Connecticut, and was at least ten years younger than Mrs. Wyman. But -what could I say? I had not the moral courage to refuse a lady. - -"Thank you very much. Now I shall look forward to the evening with -pleasure." - -"You are complimentary. Do you expect to understand the lecture?" - -"I don't know. I never gave much thought to the 'Material and -Immaterial.'" - -"Possibly we may understand as much about the subject as the Professor -himself." - -"Oh, how severe you are! Now I have great faith in the Professor's -learning." - -"He ought to be learned. He certainly has no physical beauty." - -Mrs. Wyman laughed. - -"I suppose few learned men are handsome," she said. - -"Then perhaps I may console myself for having so little learning. Do you -think the same rule holds good with ladies?" - -"To a certain extent. I am sure the principal of the seminary I attended -was frightfully plain; but I am sure she was learned. Prof. Poppendorf, -have you sold many lecture tickets?" - -"Quite a few!" answered the Professor, vaguely. - -"Are you going to attend the lecture, Miss Blagden?" asked the widow. - -"Miss Canby and I have agreed to go together." - -Miss Canby was the young woman from Macy's. The Disagreeable Woman -finding that she wished to attend the lecture, offered her a ticket and -her company, both being thankfully accepted. So that after all my -escort was not needed by the young woman, and I lost nothing by my -attention to the widow. - -We did not rise from the table till seven o'clock. Mrs. Wyman excused -herself for a short time. She wished to dress for the lecture. The -gentlemen withdrew to the reception room, a small and very narrow room -on one side of the hall, and waited for the ladies to appear. Among -those who seated themselves there was the Disagreeable Woman. She waited -for the appearance of the young woman from Macy's, whom she was to -accompany to the lecture. Somehow she did not seem out of place in the -assemblage of men. - -"You did not at first propose to hear Prof. Poppendorf?" I remarked. - -"No; I shall not enjoy it. But I found Miss Canby wished to attend." - -"We shall probably know a good deal more about the Material and the -Immaterial when we return." - -"Possibly we shall know as much as the Professor himself," she answered, -quietly. - -"I am afraid you are no hero worshiper, Miss Blagden." - -"Do you refer to the Professor as a hero?" - -"He is the hero of this evening." - -"Perhaps so. We will see." - -Prof. Poppendorf looked into the reception room previous to leaving the -house. He wore a long coat, or surtout, as it used to be called--tightly -buttoned around his spare figure. There was a rose in his buttonhole. I -had never seen one there before, but then this was a special occasion. -He seemed in good spirits, as one on the eve of a triumph. He was -content with one comprehensive glance. Then he opened the front door, -and went out. - -Just then Mrs. Wyman tripped into the room, closely followed by Ruth -Canby. The widow was quite radiant. I can't undertake to itemize her -splendor. She looked like a social butterfly. - -Quite in contrast with her was the young woman from Macy's, whose garb -was almost Quaker-like in its simplicity. Mrs. Wyman surveyed her with a -contemptuous glance, and no doubt mentally contrasted her plainness with -her own showy apparel. But the Disagreeable Woman's eye seemed to rest -approvingly on her young companion. They started out ahead of the rest -of us. - -"What a very plain person Miss Canby is!" said the widow, as we emerged -into the street, her arm resting lightly in mine. - -"Do you refer to her dress or her face and figure?" - -"Well, to both." - -"She dresses plainly; but I suspect that is dictated by economy. She has -a pleasant face." - -"It is the face of a peasant." - -"I didn't know there were any peasants in America." - -"Well, you understand what I mean. She looks like a country girl." - -"Perhaps so, but is that an objection?" - -"Few country girls are stylish." - -"I don't myself care so much for style as for good health and a good -heart." - -"Really, Dr. Fenwick, your ideas are very old-fashioned. In that respect -you resemble my dear, departed husband." - -"Is it permitted to ask whether your husband has long been dead?" - -"I have been a widow six years," said Mrs. Wyman, with an ostentatious -sigh. "I was quite a girl when my dear husband died." - -According to her own chronology, she was twenty-three. In all -probability she became a widow at twenty-nine or thirty. But of course I -could not insinuate any doubt of a lady's word. - -"And you have never been tempted to marry again?" I essayed with great -lack of prudence. - -"Oh, Dr. Fenwick, do you think it would be right?" said the widow, -leaning more heavily on my arm. - -"If you should meet one who was congenial to you. I don't know why not." - -"I have always thought that if I ever married again I would select a -professional gentleman," murmured the widow. - -I began to understand my danger and tried a diversion. - -"I don't know if you would consider Prof. Poppendorf a 'professional -gentleman'," I said. - -"Oh, how horrid! Who would marry such an old fossil?" - -"It is well that the Professor does not hear you." - -Perhaps this conversation is hardly worth recording, but it throws some -light on the character of the widow. Moreover it satisfied me that -should I desire to marry her there would be no violent opposition on -her part. But, truth to tell, I would have preferred the young woman -from Macy's, despite the criticism of Mrs. Wyman. One was artificial, -the other was natural. - -We reached Schiller Hall, after a long walk. It was a small hall, -looking something like a college recitation room. - -Prof. Poppendorf took his place behind a desk on the platform and looked -about him. There were scarcely a hundred persons, all told, in the -audience. The men, as a general thing, were shabbily dressed, and -elderly. There were perhaps twenty women, with whom dress was a -secondary consideration. - -"Did you ever see such frights, Doctor?" whispered the widow. - -"You are the only stylishly dressed woman in the hall." - -Mrs. Wyman looked gratified. - -The Professor commenced a long and rather incomprehensible talk, in -which the words material and immaterial occurred at frequent intervals. -There may have been some in the audience who understood him, but I was -not one of them. - -"Do you understand him?" I asked the widow. - -"Not wholly," she answered, guardedly. - -I was forced to smile, for she looked quite bewildered. - -The Professor closed thus: "Thus you will see, my friends, that much -that we call material is immaterial, while _per contra_, that which is -usually called immaterial is material." - -"A very satisfactory conclusion," I remarked, turning to the widow. - -"Quite so," she answered, vaguely. - -"I thank you for your attention, my friends," said the Professor, with a -bow. - -There was faint applause, in which I assisted. - -The Professor looked gratified, and we all rose and quietly left the -hall. I walked out behind Miss Canby and the Disagreeable Woman. - -"How did you like the lecture, Miss Blagden?" I inquired. - -"Probably as much as you did," she answered, dryly. - -"What do you think of the Professor, now?" - -"He seems to know a good deal that isn't worth knowing." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -A CONVERSATION WITH THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN. - - -One afternoon between five and six o'clock I was passing the Star -Theatre, when I overtook the Disagreeable Woman. - -I had only exchanged a few remarks with her at the table, and scarcely -felt acquainted. I greeted her, however, and waited with some curiosity -to see what she would have to say to me. - -"Dr. Fenwick, I believe?" she said. - -"Yes; are you on your way to supper?" - -"I am. Have you had a busy day?" - -As she said this she looked at me sharply. - -"I have had two patients, Miss Blagden. I am a young physician, and not -well known yet. I advance slowly." - -"You have practised in the country?" - -"Yes." - -"Pardon me, but would it not have been better to remain there, where you -were known, than to come to a large city where you are as one of the -sands of the sea?" - -"I sometimes ask myself that question, but as yet I am unprepared with -an answer. I am ambitious, and the city offers a much larger field." - -"With a plenty of laborers already here." - -"Yes." - -"I suppose you have confidence in yourself?" - -Again she eyed me sharply. - -"Yes and no. I have a fair professional training, and this gives me some -confidence. But sometimes, it would be greater if I had an extensive -practise, I feel baffled, and shrink from the responsibility that a -physician always assumes." - -"I am glad to hear you say so," she remarked, approvingly. "Modesty is -becoming in any profession. Do you feel encouraged by your success thus -far?" - -"I am gaining, but my progress seems slow. I have not yet reached the -point when I am self-supporting." - -She looked at me thoughtfully. - -"Of course you would not have established yourself here if you had not a -reserve fund to fall back upon? But perhaps I am showing too much -curiosity." - -"No, I do not regard it as curiosity, only as a kind interest in my -welfare." - -"You judge me right." - -"I brought with me a few hundred dollars, Miss Blagden--what was left to -me from the legacy of a good aunt--but I have already used a quarter of -it, and every month it grows less." - -"I feel an interest in young men--I am free to say this without any -fear of being misunderstood, being an old woman--" - -"An old woman?" - -"Well, I am more than twenty-nine." - -We both smiled, for this was the age that Mrs. Wyman owned up to. - -"At any rate," she resumed, "I am considerably older than you. I will -admit, Dr. Fenwick, that I am not a blind believer in the medical -profession. There are some, even of those who have achieved a certain -measure of success, whom I look upon as solemn pretenders." - -"Yet if you were quite ill you would call in a physician?" - -"Yes. I am not quite foolish enough to undertake to doctor myself in a -serious illness. But I would repose unquestioning faith in no one, -however eminent." - -"I don't think we shall disagree on that point. A physician understands -his own limitations better than any outsider." - -"Come, I think you will do," she said, pleasantly. "If I am ill at any -time I shall probably call you in." - -"Thank you." - -"And I should criticise your treatment. If you gave me any bread pills, -I should probably detect the imposture." - -"I should prefer, as a patient, bread pills to many that are -prescribed." - -"You seem to be a sensible man, Dr. Fenwick. I shall hope to have other -opportunities of conversing with you. Let me know from time to time how -you are succeeding." - -"Thank you. I am glad you are sufficiently interested in me to make the -request." - -By this time we had reached the boarding-house. We could see Mrs. Wyman -at the window of the reception room. She was evidently surprised and -amused to see us together. I was sure that I should hear more of it, and -I was not mistaken. - -"Oh, Dr. Fenwick," she said playfully, as she took a seat beside me at -the table. "I caught you that time." - -"I don't understand you," I said, innocently. - -"Oh, yes, you do. Didn't I see you and Miss Blagden coming in together?" - -"Yes." - -"I thought you would confess. Did you have a pleasant walk?" - -"It was only from the Star Theatre." - -"I see you are beginning to apologize. You could say a good deal between -Waverley Place and the Star Theatre." - -"We did." - -"So I thought. I suppose you were discussing your fellow boarders, -including poor me." - -"Not at all." - -"Then my name was not mentioned?" - -"Yes, I believe you were referred to." - -"What did she say about me?" inquired the widow, eagerly. - -"Only that she was older than you." - -"Mercy, I should think she was. Why, she's forty if she's a day. Don't -you think so?" - -"I am no judge of ladies' ages." - -"I am glad you are not. Not that I am sensitive about my own. I am -perfectly willing to own that I am twenty seven." - -"I thought you said twenty-nine, the other evening?" - -"True, I am twenty-nine, but I said twenty-seven to see if you would -remember. I suppose gentlemen are never sensitive about their ages." - -"I don't know. I am twenty-six, and wish I were thirty-six." - -"Mercy, what a strange wish! How can you possibly wish that you were -older." - -"Because I could make a larger income. It is all very well to be a young -minister, but a young doctor does not inspire confidence." - -"I am sure I would rather call in a young doctor unless I were _very_ -sick." - -"There it is! Unless you were very sick." - -"But even then," said the widow, coquettishly, "I am sure I should feel -confidence in you, Dr. Fenwick. You wouldn't prescribe very nasty pills, -would you?" - -"I would order bread pills, if I thought they would answer the purpose." - -"That would be nice. But you haven't answered my question. What were you -and Miss Blagden talking about?" - -"About doctors; she hasn't much faith in men of my profession." - -"Or of any other, I fancy. What do you think of her?" - -"That is a leading question, Mrs. Wyman; I haven't thought very much -about her so far, I have thought more of you." - -"Oh, you naughty flatterer!" said the widow, graciously. "Not that I -believe you. Men are such deceivers." - -"Do ladies never deceive?" - -"You ought to have been a lawyer, you ask such pointed questions. -Really, Dr. Fenwick, I am quite afraid of you." - -"There's no occasion. I am quite harmless, I do assure you. The time to -be afraid of me is when you call me in as a physician." - -"Excuse me, doctor, but Mrs. Gray is about to make an announcement." - -We both turned our glances upon the landlady. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -COUNT PENELLI. - - -Mrs. Gray was a lady of the old school. She was the widow of a merchant -supposed to be rich, and in the days of her magnificence had lived in a -large mansion on Fourteenth Street, and kept her carriage. When her -husband died suddenly of apoplexy his fortune melted away, and she found -herself possessed of expensive tastes, and a pittance of _two_ thousand -dollars. - -She was practical, however, and with a part of her money bought an old -established boarding-house on Waverley Place. This she had conducted for -ten years, and it yielded her a good income. Her two thousand dollars -had become ten, and her future was secure. - -Mrs. Gray did not class herself among boarding-house keepers. Her -boarders she regarded as her family, and she felt a personal interest in -each and all. When they became too deeply in arrears, they received a -quiet hint, and dropped out of the pleasant home circle. But this did -not happen very often. - -From time to time when she had anything which she thought would interest -her "family," she made what might be called a "speech from the throne." -Usually we could tell when this was going to take place. She moved about -a little restlessly, and pushed back her chair slightly from the table. -Then all became silent and expectant. - -This morning Mrs. Wyman augured rightly. Mrs. Gray was about to make an -announcement. - -She cleared her throat, and said: "My friends, I have a gratifying -announcement to make. We are about to have an accession to our pleasant -circle." - -"Who is it?" asked the widow, eagerly. - -Mrs. Gray turned upon her a look of silent reproof. - -"It is a gentleman of high family. Count Antonio Penelli, of Italy." - -There was a buzz of excitement. We had never before had a titled fellow -boarder, and democratic as we were we were pleased to learn that we -should sit at the same board with a nobleman. - -Probably no one was more pleasantly excited than Mrs. Wyman. Every male -boarder she looked upon as her constituent, if I may use this word, and -she always directed her earliest efforts to captivate any new masculine -arrival. - -"What does he look like, Mrs. Gray?" she asked, breathless. - -"He looks like an Italian," answered the landlady, in a practical tone. -"He has dark hair and a dark complexion. He has also a black moustache, -but no side whiskers." - -"Is he good looking?" - -"You will have to decide for yourselves when you see him." - -"When shall we see him?" - -"He is to be here to-night at supper." - -"The day will seem very long," murmured the widow. - -"You seem to regard him already as your special property." - -This of course came from the lips of the Disagreeable Woman. - -"I presume you are as anxious to see him as I am," snapped Mrs. Wyman. - -"I once knew an Italian Count," said Miss Blagden reflectively. - -"Did you? How nice!" - -"I do not know about that. He turned out to be a barber." - -"Horrible! Then he was not a count." - -"I think he was, but he was poor and chose to earn a living in the only -way open to him. I respected him the more on that account." - -Mrs. Wyman was evidently shocked. It seemed to dissipate the halo of -romance which she had woven around the coming boarder. - -"Count Penelli did not appear to be in any business?" she asked, -anxiously, of the landlady. - -"He said he was a tourist, and wished to spend a few months in America." - -The widow brightened up. This seemed to indicate that he was a man of -means. - -Prof. Poppendorf did not seem to share in the interest felt in the -Count. - -"I do not like Italians," he said. "They are light, frivolous; they are -not solid like the Germans." - -"The Professor is solid enough," said Mrs. Wyman, with a titter. - -This could not be gainsaid, for the learned German certainly tipped the -scales at over two hundred pounds. There was a strong suspicion that he -imbibed copious potations of the liquid so dear to his countrymen, -though he never drank it at table. - -"The poor man is jealous," continued Mrs. Wyman, making the remark in a -low tone for my private hearing. "He thinks we won't notice him after -the Count comes." - -This might be true, for Prof. Poppendorf was our star boarder. He was -not supposed to be rich, but his title of Professor and his ancient -intimacy with Bismarck, gave him a prestige among us all. When he first -came Mrs. Wyman tried her blandishments upon him, but with indifferent -success. Not that the grizzled veteran was too old for the tender -passion, as we were soon to learn, but because he did not appreciate the -coquettish ways of the widow, whom he considered of too light calibre -for his taste. - -"Don't you think the Professor very homely?" asked Mrs. Wyman, in a -confidential whisper. - -"He certainly is not handsome," I answered. "Neither is Bismarck." - -"True, but he is a great man." - -"We should respect him on account of his learning--probably much more so -than the Count whom we are expecting." - -"That may be. We don't expect noblemen to be learned," said the widow, -disdainfully. - -Immediately after breakfast she began to sound Mrs. Gray about the -Count. - -"When did he apply for board?" she asked. - -"Yesterday afternoon about four o'clock." - -"Had he heard of you? What led him here?" - -"I think he saw the sign I had out." - -"I should have supposed he would prefer a hotel." - -"He's staying at a hotel now." - -"Did he say at what hotel? Was it the Fifth Avenue?" - -"He did not say. He will move here early this afternoon." - -"And what room will he have?" - -"The back room on the third floor--the one Mr. Bates had." - -"I should hardly think that room would satisfy a nobleman." - -"Why not? Is it not clean and neat?" - -"Undoubtedly, dear Mrs. Gray, but you must admit that it is not stylish, -and it is small." - -"It is of the same size as the Professor's." - -"Ah, the Professor! He is not a man of elegant tastes. I once looked -into his room. It smells so strong of tobacco, I could not stay in there -ten minutes without feeling sick." - -"I think the Count smokes." - -"Perhaps he does, but he wouldn't smoke a dirty clay pipe. I can imagine -him with a dainty cigarette between his closed lips. But, Mrs. Gray, I -am going to ask you a great favor." - -"What is it?" - -"Let me sit beside the Count. I wish to make his acquaintance. He will -be reserved and silent with most of the boarders. I will try to make him -feel at home." - -"I thought you wished to sit beside Dr. Fenwick." - -"So I did, but he and I are friends, and he won't mind my changing my -seat." - -When I came to supper that evening I was not wholly surprised to find -myself removed to the opposite side of the table, but this I did not -regret when I found that I was now next neighbor to the Disagreeable -Woman. - -In my old seat there was a slender young man of middle height, with dark -eyes and hair. Mrs. Wyman had already established herself in -confidential relations with him, and was conversing with him in a low -tone. - -"I suppose that is the Count," I remarked. - -"At any rate he calls himself so. He has deprived you of your seat." - -"Not only that but Mrs. Wyman has transferred her attentions to him." - -"Doubtless to your regret?" - -"Well, I don't know." - -"She is scarcely off with the old love before she is on with the new," -quoted Miss Blagden, with an approach to a smile. - -"Perhaps you will console me," I ventured to suggest. - -"I can't compete with Mrs. Wyman in her special line." - -"I quite believe that," I said, smiling. - -After supper the widow fluttered up to me. - -"The Count is charming," she said, with enthusiasm. "He has a large -estate in the South of Italy. He has come here to see the country and -get acquainted with the people, and he may write a book." - -"He doesn't seem overstocked with brains," observed the Disagreeable -Woman. But Mrs. Wyman had fluttered away and did not hear her. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -MACY'S. - - -One day I dropped in at Macy's. I wished to make some trifling purchase. -Possibly I could have bought to equal advantage elsewhere, but I was -curious to see this great emporium. Years before, I had heard of it in -my country home, and even then I knew just where it was located, at the -corner of Fourteenth Street and Sixth Avenue. - -Curious as I had been about the place, I had actually spent three months -in New York and had not visited it. It was something of a shock to me -when I first learned there was no Macy, that the original proprietor had -vanished from the stage and left his famous shop in charge of men of -alien race and name. Macy had become _nominis umbra_--the shadow of a -name. Yet the name had been wisely retained. Under no other name could -the great store have retained its ancient and well-earned popularity. - -I made my purchase--it was trifling and did not materially swell the -day's receipts--and began to walk slowly about the store, taking a -leisurely survey of the infinite variety of goods which it offered to -the prospective purchaser. - -As I was making my leisurely round, all at once I heard my name called -in a low but distinct tone. - -"Dr. Fenwick!" - -I turned quickly, and behind the handkerchief counter I saw the young -woman from Macy's, whose pleasant face I had seen so often at our table. - -She nodded and smiled, and I instantly went up to the counter. - -I was sensible that I must not take up the time of one of the -salesladies--I believe that the genteel designation of this -class--without some pretense of business, so, after greeting Ruth Canby, -I said: - -"You may show me some of your handkerchiefs, please." - -"Do you wish something nice?" she asked. - -"I wish something cheap," I answered. "It doesn't matter much what a -forlorn bachelor uses." - -"You may not always be a bachelor," said Ruth, with a suggestive smile. - -"I must get better established in my profession before I assume new -responsibilities." - -"These handkerchiefs are ten cents, Dr. Fenwick," said Ruth, showing a -fair article. - -"I think I can go a little higher." - -"And these are fifteen. They are nearly all linen." - -"I will buy a couple to try," I said, by way of excusing my small -purchase. - -The young lady called "Cash," and soon a small girl was carrying the -handkerchiefs and a fifty cent piece to the cashier. This left me five -minutes for conversation, as no other customer was at hand. - -"So you are in the handkerchief department?" I remarked, by way of -starting a conversation. - -"Yes." - -"Do you like it?" - -"I should prefer the book department. That is up-stairs, on the second -floor. My tastes are _litery_." - -I am sure this was the word Ruth used. I was not disposed to criticise, -however, only I wondered mildly how it happened that a young woman of -literary tastes should make such a mistake. - -"I suppose you are fond of reading?" - -"Oh, yes, I have read considerable." - -"What, for instance?" - -"I have read one of Cooper's novels, I disremember the name, and the -Gunmaker of Moscow, by Sylvanus Cobb, and _Poe's_ Tales, but I didn't -like them much, they are so queer, and--and ever so many others." - -"I see you are quite a reader." - -"I should read more and find out more about books if I was in the book -department. A friend of mine--Mary Ann Toner--is up there, and she knows -a lot about books and authors." - -"Do any authors ever come in here, or rather to the book department?" - -"Yes; Mary Ann told me that there was a lady with long ringlets who -wrote for the story papers who came in often. She had had two books -published, and always inquired how they sold." - -"Do you remember her name?" - -"No, I disremember." - -I should like to have given her a hint that this word is hardly -accounted correct, but I suspected that if I undertook to correct Miss -Canby's English I should have my hands full. - -"Do you think you stand a chance to get into the book department?" - -"Mary Ann has agreed to speak for me when there is a vacancy. Do you -often come into Macy's, Dr. Fenwick?" - -"This is my first visit." - -"You don't mean it? I thought everybody came to Macy's at least once a -month." - -"Truly it looks like it," said I, looking about and noting the crowds of -customers. - -"I hope you'll come again soon," said Ruth, as she turned to wait upon a -lady. - -"I certainly will, Miss Canby. And it won't be altogether to buy goods." - -Ruth looked gratified and smiled her appreciation of the compliment. -Certainly she looked comely and attractive with her rather high-colored -country face, and I should have been excusable, being a bachelor, in -letting my eyes rest complacently upon her rustic charms. But I was -heart-proof so far as Ruth was concerned, I could not think of seeking -a _litery_ wife. No, she was meant for some honest but uncultured young -man, whose tastes and education were commensurate with hers. And yet, as -I afterwards found, Ruth had made an impression in a quarter quite -unexpected. - -I was not in search of a wife. It would have been the height of -imprudence for me, with my small income and precarious prospects, to -think of setting up a home and a family in this great, expensive city. -Yet, had it been otherwise, perhaps Ruth would have made me a better -wife than some graduate of a fashionable young ladies' seminary with her -smattering of French, and superficial knowledge of the various ologies -taught in high-class schools. The young woman from Macy's, though she -probably knew nothing of political economy, was doubtless skilled in -household economy and able to cook a dinner, as in all probability my -wife would find it necessary to do. - -As we entered the room at supper, Miss Canby smiled upon me pleasantly. - -"I hope you are pleased with your handkerchiefs, Dr. Fenwick." - -"I have not had occasion to use them as yet, thank you." - -"Aha, what is that?" asked Prof. Poppendorf, who was just behind us. - -"Dr. Fenwick called to see me at Macy's," answered Ruth. - -Prof. Poppendorf frowned a little, as if not approving the visit. - -"Do you have gentlemen call upon you at Macy's, Mees Ruth?" he asked. - -"Only when they wish to buy articles," said Ruth, smiling and blushing. - -"What do you sell, Mees Ruth?" - -"Handkerchiefs, Professor." - -"Do you have any like this?" and he pulled out a large red silk -handkerchief. - -"No, I have only white linen handkerchiefs." - -"I haf never use any but red ones, but I might come in and see what you -have." - -"I shall be glad to show you what I have, Professor." - -Prof. Poppendorf was soon engaged in the discussion of dinner. He had a -good German appetite which never failed. He seldom talked much during a -meal, as it would interfere with more important business. - -Now that I had changed my place at the table, I sat on one side of the -Disagreeable Woman, and Ruth Canby on the other. Next to Ruth sat the -Professor, but for the reason already stated, he was not a social -companion. - -Just opposite sat Mrs. Wyman and Count Penelli. So far as I could judge, -he was a quiet young man, and had very little to say for himself. Mrs. -Wyman, however, kept plying him with questions and remarks, and did her -best to appear on terms of intimate acquaintance with him. Some -fragments of her conversation floated across the table. - -"You have no idea, Count, how I long to visit Italy, your dear -country." - -"It is ver' nice," he said, vaguely. - -"Nice? It must be lovely. Have you ever seen the Bay of Naples?" - -"Oh, _si_, signora, many times." - -"It is charming, is it not?" - -"_Si_, signora, it is beautiful." - -"And the Italian ladies, I have heard so much of them." - -"I like ze American ladies better." - -"Do you, indeed, Count? How gratifying! When do you expect to return to -Italy?" - -"I do not know--some time." - -"I hope it will not be for a long time. We should miss you so much." - -"The signora is very kind." - -This will do for a sample of the conversation between the Count and the -widow. Though several years his senior, it looked as if she was bent on -making a conquest of the young nobleman. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE PROFESSOR IN LOVE. - - -I was sitting in my office one morning waiting for patients, much of my -time was passed in this way, very often I waited in vain. The modest -sign which I was allowed to put on the outside of the house, - - - DR. JAMES FENWICK - - -didn't seem to attract attention. Of the little practise I had, at least -a third was gratuitous. Yet I was expected to pay my bills, and when my -little stock of money was exhausted there seemed a doubt as to whether -the bills would be paid at all. - -One day I was summoned to a house where a child of three was struggling -with croup. It was a serious case, and I gave up my time to the case. -After several hours I succeeded in bringing the child round and -pronouncing her out of danger. - -When I sent in my bill, the mother said: - -"Dr. Fenwick, Mary is but three years old." - -"Indeed!" I returned. - -I failed to understand why I should be informed of this fact. - -"And," continued the mother, "I don't think any charge ought to be made -for a child so young." - -I was fairly struck dumb with amazement at first. - -Then I said, "The age of the patient has nothing to do with a -physician's charges. Where did you get such an extraordinary idea?" - -"I don't have to pay for her on the horse-cars." - -"Madam," I said, provoked, "I will not argue with you. You ought to know -that no physician treats children free. If you were very poor, and lived -in a tenement house, I might make some discount, or leave off the charge -altogether." - -"But I don't live in a tenement house," objected the lady, angrily. - -"No; you have the appearance of being very well to do. I must distinctly -decline abating my charge." - -"Then, Dr. Fenwick," said the mother, stiffly, "I shall not employ you -again." - -"That is as you please, madam." - -This seemed to me exceptionally mean, but doctors see a good deal of the -mean side of human nature. Rich men with large incomes keep them out of -their pay for a long time, sometimes where their lives depended on the -physician's skill and fidelity. Oftentimes I have been so disgusted -with the meanness of my patients, that I have regretted not choosing a -different profession. Of course there is a different side to the -picture, and gratitude and appreciation are to be found, as well as the -opposite qualities. - -I had been waiting a long time without a patient, when a shuffling sound -was heard on the stairs, and a heavy step approaching the door. - -Next came a knock. - -Instead of calling out, "Come in!" I was so pleased at the prospect of a -patient, that I rose from my seat and opened the door, myself. - -I started back in surprise. For in the heavy, lumbering figure of the -new arrival I recognized Prof. Poppendorf. - -"Prof. Poppendorf!" I exclaimed. - -"_Ja_, doctor, it is I. May I come in?" - -"Certainly." - -Supposing that he had come to consult me on the subject of his health, I -began to wonder from what disease he was suffering. Remembering his -achievements at the table I fancied it might be dyspepsia. - -The Professor entered the room, and sank into an armchair, which he -quite filled from side to side. - -"I suppose you are surprised to see me, Herr Doctor," began the -Professor. - -"Oh, no. I am never surprised to see anybody. I had not supposed you -were sick." - -"Sick! Oh, no, I'm all right. I eat well and I sleep well. What should -be the matter with me?" - -"I am glad to hear such good reports of you." - -Was I quite sincere? I am afraid it was a disappointment to learn that -my supposed patient was in no need of advice. - -"_Ja_, I am well. I was never better, thank God!" - -"Then I am to consider this a social call," I said with affected -cheerfulness. "You are very kind to call upon me, Prof. Poppendorf. I -appreciate it as a friendly attention." - -"No, it is not quite dat." - -"Is there anything I can do for you?" - -"I come on a little peezness." - -I was puzzled. I could not understand what business there could be -between the Professor and myself. - -"I shall be glad to hear what it is." - -"You see, I thought I would ask you if you were courting Mees Ruth -Canby, if you mean to make her your wife?" - -I dropped into the nearest chair--I had been standing--in sheer -amazement. To be asked my intentions in regard to the young woman from -Macy's was most astonishing, and by Prof. Poppendorf, too! - -"Did Miss Canby send you here to speak to me?" I asked, considerably -annoyed. - -"Oh, no! she knows nothing about it." - -"I can't understand what you have to do in the matter, Prof. -Poppendorf. You are neither her father nor her brother." - -"Oh, _ja_, you are quite right." - -"Then why do you come to me with such a question?" - -"I thought I would like to know myself." - -"I deny your right to speak to me on the subject," I said, stiffly. "If -now you had a good reason." - -"But I have a reason," protested the Professor, earnestly. - -"What is it?" - -"I lofe her myself. I wish to make her my frau." - -This was most astonishing. - -"You love her yourself?" - -"_Ja_, Herr Doctor." - -"And you want to marry her?" - -"_Ja._" - -"But you are an old man." - -"Not so old," said he, jealously; "I am only a little over sixty." - -"And I think she cannot be over twenty-one." - -"But I am a good man. I am strong. I am well. Look here!" and he struck -his massive chest a sturdy blow, as if to show how sound he was. - -"Yes, you seem to be well." - -"You have not told me, Herr Doctor, if you lofe Mees Ruth," he said, -uneasily. - -"No, I don't love her." - -"But you called to see her--at Macy's." - -"I called to buy some socks and handkerchiefs." - -"Was that all?" he asked, with an air of relief. - -"It was all." - -"Then you do not wish to marry Mees Ruth?" - -"I do not wish to marry any one. I am not rich enough. Are you?" - -"I have just engage to teach philosophy at Mees Smith's school on -Madison Avenue. Then I have my private pupils. Ah, _ja_, I will make -quite an income," he said, complacently. "Besides, Mees Ruth, she is a -good housekeeper." - -"I do not know." - -"She will not wish to spend money," he said, anxiously. - -"I think she was brought up economically." - -"_Ja_, dat is good. All the German frauleins are good housekeepers. Dey -can cook and keep house on a little money." - -"Were you ever married, Professor?" - -"_Ja_, long ago, but my frau she not live very long. It is many years -ago." - -"If you married Miss Canby would you still board here?" - -"No, it would cost too much money. I would hire an apartment--what you -call a flat, and Mees Ruth would keep the house--she would wash, she -would cook, and--" - -"Take care of the babies," I added, jocularly. - -"Dat is as God wills." - -"Have you spoken to Miss Ruth on the subject?" - -"No, not yet. I wish to speak to you first--I thought you might want to -marry her yourself." - -"You need have no anxiety on that subject; I never thought of such a -thing." - -"Dat is good. I feel better." - -"Have you any idea that Miss Canby will agree to marry you?" - -"I do not know. I am a Herr Professor," he said, proudly. - -In Germany there is a high respect felt for titles of every kind, and -the Professor evidently thought that his official dignity would impress -the young woman from Macy's. - -"Still, you are so much older than she, that she may not at first like -the idea." - -"You think she refuse me--that she gives me the mitten?" he said, -uneasily. - -"If you propose too quick. Will you take my advice?" - -"_Ja, ja!_" - -"Then don't propose at once. Let her get accustomed to your attentions." - -"What shall I do first?" he asked, anxiously. - -"Suppose you invite her to go to the theatre with you?" - -"_Ja_, dat is good!" - -"Perhaps you could take her to hear Patti?" - -"No, no. It cost too much!" said he, shaking his head. - -"Then you might invite her to the Star Theatre to see Crane." - -"So I will." - -He rose and shuffled out of the office in a very pleasant humor. He felt -that there was no obstacle to his suit, now that I had disclaimed all -intention of marrying the young woman from Macy's. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -AN EVENING AT THE BOARDING-HOUSE. - - -The confidence which Prof. Poppendorf had reposed in me, naturally led -me to observe his behavior at table to the young woman from Macy's. -There was a difficulty as I had to look round the "Disagreeable Woman," -who sat next to me. Then I could not very well watch the Professor's -expression, as his large, green goggles concealed so large a part of his -face. - -He still continued to devote the chief part of his time to the business -of the hour, and his eyes were for the most part fixed upon his plate. -Yet now and then I observed he offered her the salt or the pepper, a -piece of attention quite new to him. I had some thought of suggesting -to Miss Canby that she had awakened an interest in the heart of the gray -old Professor, but it occurred to me that this would be hardly fair to -the elderly suitor. It was only right to leave him a fair field, and let -him win if Fate ordained it. - -On Wednesday evenings it was generally understood that the boarders, -such at any rate as had no other engagements, would remain after supper -and gather in the little reception-room, till the dining-room was -cleared, spending the evening socially. - -On such occasions Mrs. Wyman would generally volunteer a song, -accompanying herself if there was no one else to play. She had a thin, -strident voice, such as one would not willingly hear a second time, but -out of courtesy we listened, and applauded. The widow had one who fully -appreciated her vocal efforts, and this was herself. She always looked -pleased and complacent when her work was done. - -It was on the first Wednesday after the Count's arrival that she induced -him to remain. - -"Don't you sing, Count?" she asked. - -"Very little, madam," he said. - -"But you are an Italian, and all Italians are musical." - -He uttered a faint disclaimer, but she insisted. - -"Do me a favor--a great favor," she said, persuasively, "and sing some -sweet Italian air, such as you must know." - -"No, I don't sing Italian airs," he said. - -"What then?" - -"I can sing 'Sweet Marie.'" - -"I am sure we shall all be glad to hear it. I sometimes sing a little -myself--just a tiny bit." - -"I shall like much to hear you, signora." - -"I shall feel very bashful about singing to an Italian gentleman. You -will laugh at me." - -"No, no, I would not be so rude." - -"Then perhaps I may. Our friends always insist upon hearing me." - -So at an early period in the evening she sang one of her routine songs. - -I watched the Count's face while she was singing. I was amused. At first -his expression was one of surprise. Then of pain, and it seemed to me of -annoyance. When Mrs. Wyman had completed the song she turned to him a -look of complacent inquiry. She was looking for a compliment. - -"Didn't I do horribly?" she asked. - -"Oh, no, no," answered the Count, vaguely. - -"It must have seemed very bad to you." - -"No, no--" - -"Do you think it was passable?" - -"Oh, signora, I never heard anything like it." - -"Oh, you naughty flatterer," she said, smiling with delight. "I am sure -you don't mean it." - -"Indeed I do." - -I was sitting next the Disagreeable Woman. - -"The Count has more brains than I thought," she said. "I quite agree -with him." - -"That you never heard anything like it?" I queried, smiling. - -"Yes." - -"Miss Ruth," I said to the young woman from Macy's, "do you never sing?" - -"I used to sing a little in my country home," she admitted. - -"What, for instance?" - -"I can sing 'Annie Laurie'." - -"Nothing could be better. It is a general favorite. Won't you sing it -to-night?" - -"But I cannot sing without an accompaniment," she said, shyly. - -"I am not much of a musician, but I can play that." - -With a little more persuasion I induced her to sing. She had a pleasant -voice, and while I cannot claim for her anything out of the common on -the score of musical talent, she rendered the song fairly well. All -seemed to enjoy it, except Mrs. Wyman, who said, in a sneering tone: - -"That song is old as the hills." - -"It may be so," I retorted, "but the best songs are old." - -"It was very good," said the Count, who really seemed pleased. - -This seemed to annoy the widow. - -"You are very good-natured, Count, to compliment such a rustic -performance," she said. - -"But, signora, I mean it." - -"Well, let it pass! She did her best, poor thing!" - -"She is a nice girl." - -"Oh, Count, she is only a young woman from Macy's. She was born in the -country, and raised among cabbages and turnips." - -He seemed puzzled, but evidently regarded Ruth with favor. - -Meanwhile, Prof. Poppendorf had listened attentively to the song of the -maiden on whom he had fixed his choice. - -"Mees Ruth, you sing beautiful!" he said. - -Ruth Canby smiled. - -"You are very kind, Prof. Poppendorf," she said, gratefully. - -"I like your singing much better than Mrs. Wyman's." - -"No. You mustn't say that. She sings airs from the opera." - -"I like better your leetle song." - -By this time Mrs. Wyman had succeeded in extracting a promise from the -Count to sing. - -"Dr. Fenwick," she said, "can't you play the accompaniment for the -Count?" - -"What is the song?" - -"'Sweet Marie'." - -"I will do my best. I am not professional." - -So I played and the Count sang. He had a pleasant, sympathetic voice, -and we were pleased with his singing. - -"Oh, how charming, Count!" said Mrs. Wyman; "I shall never dare to sing -before you again." - -"Why not, signora." - -"Because you are such a musical artist." - -"Oh, no, no, signora!" he said, deprecatingly. - -He was persuaded to sing again, and again he pleased his small audience. - -"Miss Blagden, won't you favor us with a song?" asked Mrs. Wyman, in a -tone of mockery. - -"Thank you," said the Disagreeable Woman, dryly. "There is so much -musical talent here, that I won't undertake to compete with those who -possess it." - -"Prof. Poppendorf, don't you ever sing?" asked the widow, audaciously. - -"I used to sing when I was young," answered the Professor, unexpectedly. - -"Then _do_ favor us!" - -He seated himself at the piano, and sang a German drinking song, such as -in days gone by he had sung with Bismarck and his old comrades at the -university. - -There was a rough vigor in his performance that was not unpleasant. No -one was more surprised than Mrs. Wyman at the outcome of what she had -meant as a joke. - -"Really, Professor," said the Disagreeable Woman, "you are more -accomplished than I supposed. I like your song better than I did your -lecture." - -Prof. Poppendorf removed his glasses, and we saw in his eyes a -suspicious moisture. - -"Ah," he said, not appearing to hear the compliment, if it was a -compliment, "it brings back the old days. I have not sing that song -since I was at the university with Bismarck. There were twenty of us, -young students, who sang it together, and now they are almost all gone." - -This ended the musical performances of the evening. After this, there -was conversation, and later Mrs. Gray provided ice-cream and cake. It -was Horton's ice-cream, and the plates were small, but we enjoyed it. - -Before we parted, the Professor found himself sitting next to Ruth -Canby. - -"Do you ever go to the theatre, fraulein?" he asked. - -"Not often, Professor. I cannot go alone, and there is no one to take -me." - -"I will take you, Mees Ruth." - -The young woman from Macy's looked amazed. She had not dreamed of such -an invitation from him. Yet she was very fond of the stage, and she saw -no reason why she should not accept. - -"You are very kind, Professor," she said. "I did not think you cared -for the theatre." - -"I would like to go--with you," he said, gallantly. - -"Then I will go." - -"It will be like going with my grandfather," she thought. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -A RUSTIC ADMIRER. - - -Sunday was always a lonely day to me. In the country village, where I -knew everybody, I always looked forward to it as the pleasantest day of -the week. Here in the crowded city, I felt isolated from human sympathy. -I accustomed myself to attending church in the forenoon. In the -afternoon I took a walk or an excursion. - -At the boarding-house even it was dull and less social than usual. Such -of the boarders as had friends near the city were able to absent -themselves after breakfast. Among the faces that I missed was that of -the Disagreeable Woman. Sometimes she appeared at breakfast; but never -at dinner or tea. Though she never indulged in conversation to any -extent, I think we all missed her. - -One Sunday afternoon, soon after the gathering described in the last -chapter, I walked up Fifth Avenue to Central Park. It was a pleasant day -and many were out. Through the magnificent avenue I walked in a -leisurely way, and wondered idly how it would seem to own a residence in -this aristocratic street. I could not repress a feeling of envy when I -thought of the favored class who dwelt in the long line of palaces that -line the avenue. Their lives seemed far removed from that of a -struggling physician, who was in daily doubt how long he could maintain -his modest style of living in the crowded metropolis. - -Arrived at Fifty-ninth street I sauntered toward the menagerie. This is -the favorite resort of children, and of young persons from the country. -Perhaps I, myself, might be classed among the latter. I did not care so -much, however, to observe the animals as the visitors. I had a hope that -I might see some one whom I knew. - -At first I could see no familiar face. But presently I started, as my -glance fell on the short and somewhat plump figure of the young woman -from Macy's. - -She was not alone. With her walked a tall, sun-burned young man, who was -evidently from the country. She leaned confidingly upon his arm, and her -face was radiant. He was evidently an old friend, perhaps a lover. He, -too, looked contented and happy. Were they lovers? It looked like it. If -so, the matrimonial plans of Prof. Poppendorf were doomed to -disappointment. Delicacy dictated my silent withdrawal, but I confess -that my curiosity was aroused, and I resolved to gratify it. - -Accordingly I pressed forward and overtook the young woman from Macy's -and her escort. She looked up casually, and a little flush overspread -her face when she recognized me. - -"Dr. Fenwick!" she said, impulsively. - -I turned and lifted my hat. - -"I am glad to meet you, Miss Canby!" I said. - -At the same time I looked inquiringly at her escort. - -"Stephen," she said, "this is Dr. Fenwick from our boarding-house." - -"Proud to know you, sir," said the young man, offering his hand. - -I shook it heartily. - -"You have not mentioned your friend's name, Miss Canby," I said. - -"Excuse me! I am very neglectful. This is Stephen Higgins from our town. -I used to go to school with him." - -"I am glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Higgins." - -"Same to you, sir." - -"I suppose you are on a visit to the city, Mr. Higgins." - -"Yes, sir. I came here to spend Sunday, and see Ruth." - -"I presume you have been in the city before?" - -"Not for five years. It's a pretty smart place. I'm so turned round that -I hardly know which way to turn." - -"You will have a good guide in Miss Canby." - -"In Ruth, yes." - -"I wish I could go round with him all the time he is here, Dr. Fenwick, -but to-morrow I shall have to go back to my work at Macy's." - -She gave a little sigh as she spoke. - -"Do you intend to stay long, Mr. Higgins?" - -"Only a day or two. It's pretty expensive stayin' in York." - -"I want him to stay over till Tuesday, Dr. Fenwick. He can't see much if -he goes home to-morrow." - -"If you could be with me, Ruth--" - -"But I can't, so it's no use talking about it." - -"Wouldn't Mr. Macy give you a day off?" - -"If I could find him perhaps he would," she said, laughing. - -"Why can't you find him? Isn't he at the store every day?" - -"Mr. Macy is dead, Stephen." - -"Then how can he keep store?" asked Stephen, bewildered. - -"Somebody else runs it in his name?" - -"Don't let me interfere with your plans," I said, feeling that perhaps I -might be in the way. - -They both urged me to stay, and so I did. - -By this time all the attractions of the menagerie had been seen, and I -proposed to walk to the lake. - -"How would you like to live in the city, Mr. Higgins?" I asked. - -"First rate, if I could find anything to do." - -"What is your business at home?" - -"I work on father's farm. Next year, as father's gettin' feeble, I may -take it on shares." - -"That will be better, perhaps, than seeking a situation in the city." - -"I should like to be here on account of Ruth," he said, wistfully. - -She smiled and shook her head. - -"There's nothing for me to do in the country," she said. - -"I might find something for you to do," he said, eagerly. - -Then I saw how it was, and felt inclined to help him. - -"Do you like Macy's so well, then?" I asked. - -"I don't know," she answered, thoughtfully, "I like to feel that I am -earning my living." - -"You wouldn't need," commenced Stephen, but she checked him by a look. - -"You might not like to part with the Professor," said I, mischievously. - -Stephen took instant alarm. - -"What Professor?" he asked. - -"Professor Poppendorf. He is a German, a very learned man." - -"And what have you got to do with the Professor, Ruth?" he asked, -jealously. - -"Oh, you foolish boy!" she said. "You ought to see him." - -"I don't want to see him." - -"He is an old gentleman, most seventy, and wears green glasses." - -Stephen looked relieved. - -"By the way, did you have a pleasant evening with the Professor at the -theatre the other evening, Miss Canby?" - -It was very reprehensible of me, I know, but I felt a little -mischievous. - -"Did you go to the theatre with him, Ruth?" asked Stephen, -reproachfully. - -"Yes, I am so fond of the theatre, you know, I could not resist the -temptation." - -"What did you see?" - -"I went to see Crane in the Senator. Where do you think we sat?" and -she laughed. - -"I don't know." - -"In the upper gallery. The idea of asking a lady to sit in the top of -the house!" - -"The Professor is a German, and all Germans are frugal. I presume he -thought you would be perfectly satisfied. Did the Professor appear to -enjoy the play?" - -"Very much. He did not always understand it, and asked me to explain it -to him. Now and then he burst into such a loud laugh that I felt quite -ashamed. Then I was glad that we were in the top gallery." - -"When the play was over did he invite you to take an ice-cream at -Delmonico's or Maillard's?" - -"No, but he invited me into a saloon to take a glass of lager." - -Here she laughed again. - -"Evidently the Professor is not a ladies' man. Did you accept the -beer?" - -"As if I would!" - -"Poor man! you deprived him of a pleasure." - -"No, I did not. He left me on the sidewalk while he went in and took his -beer." - -"I hope you won't go to the theatre with him again," said Stephen, in a -tone of dissatisfaction. - -"You can rest quite easy, Stephen, I won't." - -"What made him ask you to go?" - -"You will have to ask him, Stephen. If you will come round to supper -this evening, I will introduce you to him. There will be plenty of room, -as some of our boarders are always away on Sunday." - -Stephen felt a little bashful at first, but finally yielded to -persuasion and took his place at the table in the seat of the -Disagreeable Woman. - -After seeing the Professor he got over his jealousy. The old German -scholar hardly suggested a young Lothario, and his appearance was not -calculated to excite jealousy. Prof. Poppendorf removed his goggles the -better to observe Ruth's friend, but did not appear to be disturbed. -That Ruth should prefer this young rustic to a man of his position and -attainments, would have seemed to him quite out of the range of -probability. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -A POOR PATIENT. - - -I was accustomed to remain in my office till about four o'clock in the -afternoon waiting for possible patients. It was a long and weary wait, -and oftentimes not a caller rewarded me. I suppose it is the usual -fortune of young medical practitioners who are comparatively unknown. -When four o'clock came I went out for a walk. Generally my steps tended -to Sixth Avenue where there was some life and bustle. - -I was compelled to practise the most rigid economy, but I could not deny -myself the luxury of an evening paper. I would buy either the _Sun_ or -_World_, each of which cost but a penny. One little newsboy came to -know me, and generally lay in wait for me as I emerged from a side -street. He was a bright, attractive little boy of ten, whose name I -found to be Frank Mills. His clothing was well-worn but clean, and his -whole appearance was neat, so that I judged he had a good mother. - -Usually Frank's manner was cheerful, but on the day succeeding my visit -to the Park I found he looked sober and his eyes looked red as if he had -been crying. - -"What is the matter, Frank?" I asked. - -"My sister is sick," he said, sadly. - -"Is it an older sister?" - -"Yes; she works at O'Neil's dry goods store. She has been sick two -days." - -"What is the matter?" - -"Mother thinks it is a fever." - -"Have you called a doctor?" - -"N--no," answered Frank. - -"Why not?" - -"We haven't any money to pay a doctor. We are very poor, and now that -sister isn't working I don't know how we shall get along. There is no -one to earn money except me, and I don't make more than thirty cents a -day." - -"If I were rich, Frank, I would help you." - -"I am sure you would, sir, for you look like a kind gentleman." - -This simple tribute went to my heart. The boy felt that I was a friend, -and I determined that I would be one so far as I was able. - -"Still I can do something for you. I am a doctor, and if you will take -me round to your house I will look at your sister and see if I can do -anything for her." - -The boy's eyes lighted up with joy. - -"Will you be so kind, sir? I will go with you now." - -"Yes, Frank, the sooner the better." - -I followed him for perhaps a quarter of a mile to a poor house situated -on one of the side streets leading down to the North River. The street -was shabby enough, and the crowd of young children playing about showed -that it was tenanted by poor families, rich in children if nothing else. - -Frank stopped at one of these houses and opened the door into a dirty -hall. - -"We live on the top floor," he said, "if you won't mind going up." - -"I shall mind it no more than you, Frank," I said. "I am still a young -man." - -We climbed three staircases, and stood on the upper landing. - -"I'll go in and tell mother I have brought a doctor," said Frank. "Just -wait here a minute." - -He opened a door and entered. He came out again almost immediately. He -was followed by a woman of perhaps forty, with a pleasant face, but -looking very sad. - -"Welcome, doctor," she said. "Frank tells me you were kind enough to -offer us your services." - -"Yes, I am glad to do what I can for you." - -"This is my daughter. I feel very much worried about her." - -The daughter lay on a bed in an inner room (there were but two). She was -pale and looked ill-nourished, but in spite of the delicacy of her -appearance, she was pretty. - -"Alice, this is the doctor," said her mother. Alice opened her eyes -languidly, and tried to smile. - -"Let me feel your pulse," I said. - -The pulsations were slow and feeble. - -The mother fixed her eyes upon me anxiously, and awaited my verdict. - -"Your daughter is quite run down," I said. "She has very little -strength, but I do not find any positive indications of disease." - -"You are right, no doubt, doctor," said the mother with a sigh. "She is -a delicate girl, and I am sure she was overworked." - -"She is employed in a dry goods store, Frank tells me." - -"Yes, she is at O'Neil's. They are very considerate there, but it is -hard to be standing all day." - -"It would be hard for any one. I am a man and strong, but I don't think -I could endure it. She ought to have two weeks' rest, at least, before -returning to work." - -"I am sure you are right, doctor," said Mrs. Mills, "but how can it be -managed? We have but two breadwinners, Frank and Alice. Frank, poor boy, -brings in all he can, but Alice earns six dollars a week. It is upon -that that we depend for our living. It is a hard thing to be poor, -doctor." - -"Indeed it is," I answered. - -"You speak as if you know something about it." - -"I do. I am a young physician, with very little money, and few patients. -Life with me is a struggle, as it is with you." - -I was well dressed--that is a necessity with a professional man, who -must keep up appearances--and this perhaps made it difficult for Mrs. -Mills to believe that I was really poor. - -"What do you prescribe, doctor?" - -"No medicines are needed. What your daughter needs most is strengthening -food--to begin with a little beef tea." - -Mrs. Mills looked embarrassed. I understood her embarrassment. What I -ordered was simple enough; but where was the money to come from, to -supply the sick girl's needs? - -"I can make some beef tea," she said, after a pause, "and some bread." - -"It is just the thing," I said, cheerfully. - -"Then you don't think she needs any medicine?" - -"No." - -There was still that anxious look on the mother's face. Alice was the -breadwinner, and she was sick. How were they to live? - -An idea came to me. - -"I will call again to-morrow morning," I said, cheerfully. - -"You are very kind, doctor. I should like to pay you, but we are so -miserably poor." - -"Don't let that trouble you for a moment. I can give you some of my -time, for of that I have plenty." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN IN A NEW LIGHT. - - -I have said that I had an idea. The destitute condition of this poor -family weighed upon me, and excited my sympathy. With my scanty means I -could give them only advice, but could I not secure help from others. - -Mrs. Gray, my landlady, would perhaps furnish a supply of food, but -though a good woman in the main she was not inclined to be charitable. -She was inclined to be suspicious of those who applied to her for help, -and I did not want to subject Mrs. Mills to any new sorrow or -mortification. Among my fellow boarders, I could not think of one to -whom I could apply, except--well, yes, except the Disagreeable Woman. -Under her cynical exterior I suspected there was a sympathetic heart, -though I believe that I alone gave her credit for it. I resolved to -speak to her about my poor patient. - -As the reader already knows, I sat next to Miss Blagden at the table. -Toward the close of supper I said in a low voice: "If you will allow me, -Miss Blagden, I will walk with you a short distance after supper. I have -something to say to you." - -She looked surprised, but answered promptly, "I shall be glad of your -company." - -This was the most agreeable speech I had heard from her since our -acquaintance commenced. - -Nothing more was said till I found myself walking by her side toward -Broadway. - -"Now?" she said, expectantly. - -"I am going to take a liberty," I said. "I am going to try to interest -you in a poor family. I of course know nothing of your means, but my own -are so limited that in spite of my profound sympathy I can only give my -medical services, while more is needed." - -"Go on, doctor," she said, and there was unwonted kindness in her tone. - -I told her the story in brief words, and she seemed interested. - -"Your young patient has no organic disease?" she inquired. - -"None whatever. She is ill-nourished, and works too hard. That is the -whole story." - -"They are very poor." - -"You can judge. Their income cannot be more than seven dollars and a -half, and of this the girl earns six dollars. Her sickness will entail -some outlay, and there is only the boy to earn money now." - -"It is very sad, doctor. How little we whose wants are provided for -know of the sufferings of the poor! But fortunately," she added, and a -rare smile lighted up her features and made her positively attractive, -in spite of her name, "fortunately there is a remedy. When do you see -this poor family again?" - -"I shall call to-morrow morning after breakfast." - -"And in the meantime do you think they will suffer for the lack of -food?" - -"It may be so. I don't think they have much money in the house?" - -"Do you think you could make it convenient to call there this evening?" - -"Yes, I am sure I could. Their poor home is less than half a mile -distant from our boarding-house." - -"Then, doctor, be kind enough to hand them this." - -She drew out her purse and handed me a five dollar bill. - -I suppose I showed the joy I felt. - -"Miss Blagden," I said, "you could not give me a more agreeable -commission." - -"I believe it, doctor." - -There was an unwonted softness in her tone, and her smile was positively -attractive. - -How could we call her the "Disagreeable Woman?" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -MRS. WYMAN'S CURIOSITY. - - -I was passing our boarding-house on my return from the walk with Miss -Blagden when Mrs. Wyman tapped on the window, and opened it. - -"I saw you!" she said, in a bantering tone. - -"At supper?" - -"No, I saw you walking away with Miss Blagden. So you are smitten at -last!" - -I smiled. - -"I assure you," I said, "there is nothing between us." - -"You seem uncommonly attentive," and I thought there was something of -pique in her tone. - -"What can I do?" I answered. "You have forsaken me, and devote yourself -to the Count." - -"As if I could forget you!" she said, in a sentimental tone. - -If she had known how utterly indifferent I was to her favor or disfavor -she would hardly have been complimented. She had transferred her -attentions to Count Penelli, but she still wished to retain her hold -upon me. - -"By the way," she said, suddenly, "are you going to hear Patti during -her present engagement?" - -"Do you take me for a millionaire?" - -"Her prices are frightful!" she said, thoughtfully. "Of course I cannot -go without an escort." - -"If you will secure two tickets, I will accompany you." - -"Thank you, but I am so poor. Still I dote on music, and I would buy my -own ticket." - -I shrugged my shoulders, and declined to take the hint. - -"Very probably the Count will wish to go. He is an Italian, you know, -and would have the advantage of understanding the language." - -"True." - -"As a nobleman he is doubtless above money considerations." - -"You are mistaken. He is the heir to great estates, but he is out of -favor with his father, and has to live on a very small allowance. It is -a pity, isn't it?" - -"He might work at some business, and replenish his purse." - -"But you must remember he is a nobleman. His rank debars him from many -positions that would be open to a common man." - -"I am glad that I am not a nobleman, then." - -"Ah, he might not object to being a doctor if he were trained to that -profession. I wish there were any way of getting a ticket to Patti, -without such a monstrous outlay. Can't you think of any way?" - -"Mr. Blake is connected with a morning paper. Perhaps he may be entitled -to a Press ticket." - -"Thank you, Dr. Fenwick. That is an excellent suggestion. I will speak -to him to-morrow morning. Where are you walking, if I may ask?" - -"To see a poor patient. Will you accompany me?" - -"No, no, I should be afraid of catching some horrid fever or something." - -"The family is poor, and stands very much in need of assistance." - -"How will they pay you, then?" - -"They won't pay me. I shall not ask any compensation." - -"I think you are foolish to waste your time on such people. They can't -benefit you." - -"I can help them." - -"You will never get rich in that way." - -"I do not expect to. I shall be satisfied if I can make a living. If -you feel inclined to be charitable, I can recommend Mrs. Mills as -deserving all the help you are inclined to bestow." - -"I positively haven't a cent to spare. Besides it would make it all the -more difficult to hear Patti." - -Mrs. Wyman closed the window. The conversation had taken a turn which -she did not relish. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE QUALITY OF MERCY. - - -When I knocked again at the door of Mrs. Mills, she opened it and -regarded me in some surprise. - -"Did you think Alice would be worse?" she asked. - -"No, but I am commissioned by a charitable lady, one of my fellow -boarders, to give you this." - -She took the bill which I offered her, and her face lighted up with joy. - -"It is a godsend," she said. "I was feeling very anxious. We had but -twenty-five cents in the house." - -"This will help along." - -"Indeed it will. How kind you are, doctor," and her eyes filled with -grateful tears. - -"I would like to be kind, but my ability is limited." - -"And who is this lady to whom I am indebted?" - -"We call her the Disagreeable Woman." - -She looked very much surprised. - -"Surely you are jesting, doctor." - -"No; she is a social mystery. She is very blunt and says many sharp -things." - -"But she sends me this money. She must have a good heart." - -"I begin to think so. It would surprise all at the table if they knew -she had done this." - -"I shall think of her as the Agreeable Woman." - -"Now, Mrs. Mills, I am going to give you some advice. What your daughter -needs is nourishing food. Use this money to provide it not only for her -but for yourself." - -"I will--but when this is gone," she hesitated. - -"We will appeal to the Disagreeable Woman. What has your daughter -taken?" - -"I have given her some beef tea." - -"That is good as far as it goes. Do you think she could eat a bit of -steak?" - -"I will ask her." - -Alice seemed so pleased at the suggestion that Frank was dispatched to -the butcher's for a pound of sirloin steak, and a few potatoes. Soon the -rich and appetizing flavor of broiled steak pervaded the apartment, and -a smile of contentment lighted up the face of the sick girl. - -"Now mind that you and Frank eat some too," I said. "I will see you -to-morrow morning." - -I made a report to Miss Blagden at breakfast. - -"If you had seen how much pleasure your gift gave, you would feel amply -repaid," I said to her. - -"Doctor," she said, earnestly, "I thank you for mentioning this case to -me. We are so apt to live for ourselves." - -"I also mentioned the case to Mrs. Wyman," I added. - -"Well?" she asked, curiously. - -"She said she was very poor, and wanted to buy a ticket to Patti's -concert." - -Miss Blagden smiled. - -"I am not surprised to hear it," she said. "Did you ever hear Patti, Dr. -Fenwick?" - -"No, Miss Blagden. I am new to the city, and I am cut off from expensive -amusements by my limited means." - -"Do you like music?" - -"Very much. When Patti gives a concert at fifty cents, I may venture to -go." - -At supper Miss Blagden placed something in my hand. - -I looked at it, and found that it was a ticket to Patti's concert on the -following evening. It would give me admission to the most expensive -part of the house. - -"You are very kind, Miss Blagden," I said, in grateful surprise. - -"Don't mention where you got it. You may consider it in the light of a -fee for attendance upon your poor patient. By the way, how is she? Have -you been there to-day?" - -"Yes; she is doing well, but is in a great hurry to get well. The rent -comes due next week, and--" - -"How much is it?" asked Miss Blagden, interrupting me. - -"Seven dollars." - -She drew a ten dollar bill from her pocket-book and extended it to me. - -"Give that to Mrs. Mills," she said. - -"You make me very happy as well as her; I am beginning to find how kind -and charitable you are." - -"No, no," she said gravely. "There are few of us of whom that may be -said. How soon do you think your patient will be able to resume work?" - -"Next Monday, I hope. She is gaining rapidly." - -"How thick you are with the Disagreeable Woman!" said Mrs. Wyman, when -she next met me. "Don't fail to invite me to the wedding." - -"On one condition." - -"What is that?" - -"That you invite me to your wedding with the Count." - -She smiled complacently and called me a naughty man. I wonder if she -aspires to become a Countess. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE PROFESSOR'S COURTSHIP. - - -"What a guy!" - -The busy day at Macy's was over. Troops of young women passed through -the doors, in street costume, and laughing and chatting, made their way -up or down Sixth Avenue, or turned into Twenty-third street. Among them -was Ruth Canby, and it was to her that her friend Maria Stevenson -addressed the above exclamation. - -Ruth turned to observe the figure indicated by her friend, and was -almost speechless with surprise. - -At the corner leaning against the lamppost was a figure she knew well. -The rusty overcoat with its amplitude of cape, the brown crushed hat, -the weather-beaten face, and the green goggles were unmistakable. It was -Prof. Poppendorf. He was peering in his short-sighted way at the young -women emerging from the great store with an inquiring gaze. Suddenly his -eyes brightened. He had found the object of his search. - -"Mees Ruth!" he exclaimed, stepping forward briskly, "I haf come to walk -home with you." - -Ruth looked confused and almost distressed. She would gladly have found -some excuse to avoid the walk but could think of none. - -"Maria!" she said, hurriedly, "it is an old friend of the family. I -shall have to leave you." - -Her friend looked at the rusty figure in amazement. - -"Oh, well, Ruth," she said, "we will meet to-morrow. So long!" - -This was not perhaps the way in which a Fifth Avenue maiden would have -parted from her friend, but Maria Stevenson was a free and easy young -woman, of excellent heart and various good qualities, but lacking the -social veneering to be met with in a different class of society. - -"How provoking!" thought Ruth, as she reluctantly took her place beside -the Professor, who, unlike herself, seemed in the best of spirits. - -"I haf waited here a quarter of an hour to meet you, Mees Ruth," he -said. - -"I wish you hadn't," thought Ruth, but she only said, "I am sorry to -have put you to so much trouble." - -"It was no trouble, I assure you, Mees Ruth," said her elderly companion -in as genial a tone as his bass voice could assume. - -"Let us cross the street," suggested Ruth. - -She wished as soon as possible to get out of sight of her shop -companions, who were sure to tease her the next day. - -"With all my heart," said the Professor. "I should wish to be more -alone." - -They crossed Sixth Avenue, and walked down on the west side. Ruth was -wondering all the while what on earth could have induced the Professor -to take such pains to offer her his escort. She did not have long to -wait. - -"I haf something very particular to say to you, Mees Ruth," said the -Professor, gazing fondly at her through his green goggles. - -"Indeed!" returned Ruth, in great surprise. - -"Yes, Mees Ruth, I haf been feeling very lonely. I am tired of living at -a boarding-house. I wish to have a home of my own. Will you marry me? -Will you be my frau--I mean my wife?" - -Ruth Canby stopped short. She was "like to drop," as she afterwards -expressed it. - -"Marry you!" she repeated, in a dazed way. - -"Yes, Mees Ruth, dear Mees Ruth, I want you to be my wife." - -"But, Professor, I could never think of marrying a man so----" old she -was about to add, but she feared it would hurt the Professor's feelings. - -"I know what you would say, Mees Ruth. You think I am too old. But I am -strong. See here!" and he smote his large breast vigorously. "I am -sound, and I shall live many years. My father lived till eighty-five, -and I am only sixty-five." - -"I am only twenty." - -"True! you are much younger, but no young man would love you so fondly." - -"I don't know," said Ruth. - -"Perhaps you think I am poor, but it is not so. I haf a good income, and -I haf just been appointed to gif lectures on philosophy in Miss Green's -school on Madison Avenue. We will take a nice flat. I will furnish it -well, and we will haf a happy home." - -"Thank you very much, Prof. Poppendorf," said Ruth, hurriedly. "Indeed -I feel complimented that such a learned man and great scholar should -wish to marry me, but I am only a simple girl--I have not much -education--and I should not make a suitable wife for you." - -"Do not think of that, Mees Ruth. I will teach you myself. I will teach -you Latin and Greek, and Sanscrit, if you please. I will read my -lectures on philosophy to you, and I will make you '_une femme -savante_,' so that you can talk with my brother Professors who will come -to see me. You can cook, can you not, Mees Ruth?" - -"Yes, I know how to cook, but--" - -"Ah, that is well," said the Professor, in a tone of satisfaction. "All -the German ladies can cook. Frau von Bismarck, the wife of my old -friend, is an excellent cook. I haf dined at Bismarck's house." - -"But," said Ruth, firmly, "I can not think of becoming your wife, Prof. -Poppendorf." - -"Ach, so!" said the Professor, in a tone of disappointment. "Do not make -such a mistake, my dear Mees Ruth. Is it nothing to become Mrs. -Professor Poppendorf. You will take a good place in society. For I -assure you that I am well known among scholars. I am now busy on a great -work on philosophy, which will extend my fame. I will make you proud of -your husband." - -"Indeed, Prof. Poppendorf, I do not doubt your learning or your fame, -but I can not marry a man old enough to be my grandfather." - -"So, I am not so sure about that. I am old enough to be your father, -but--" - -"Never mind! We will not argue the point. I hope you will say no more. I -can not marry you." - -"Ah! is there another? Haf I a rival?" demanded the Professor, frowning -fiercely. "It is that Dr. Fenwick?" - -"No, it is not." - -"I do not think he would care to marry you." - -"And I don't want to marry him, though I think him a very nice young -gentleman." - -"Who is it, then?" - -"If you must know," said Ruth, pettishly, "it is that young man who took -supper with us not long ago." - -"The young man from the country?" - -"Yes." - -"But what do you see in him, Mees Ruth. He is a _yokel_." - -"A what?" - -"He is a very worthy young man, I do not doubt, but what does he know? -He is a farmer, is he not, with no ideas beyond his paternal acres?" - -"Prof. Poppendorf, I will not have you speak so of my Stephen," said -Ruth, while a wave of anger passed over her face. - -"Ah, that is his name. Stephen. Pardon, Mees Ruth! I do not wish to say -anything against this rural young man, but he will never give you the -position which I offer you." - -"Perhaps not, but I like him better." - -"Ach, so. Then is my dream at an end; I did hope to have you for my -frau, and haf a happy home and a loving companion in my declining -years." - -His tone seemed so mournful that Ruth was touched with pity and remorse. - -"Prof. Poppendorf," she said, gently, "you must not be too much -disappointed. There are many who would appreciate the honor of marrying -you. Why do you not ask Mrs. Wyman?" - -"She is a butterfly--a flirt. I would not marry her if there were no -other woman living." - -The young woman from Macy's quite agreed with the Professor, and it was -not without satisfaction that she heard him express himself in this -manner. - -"Well," she continued, "then there is Miss Blagden. She is of a more -suitable age." - -"The Disagreeable Woman. What do you take me for, Mees Ruth? She is too -strong-minded." - -"Perhaps so, but I am sure she has a kind heart." - -"I should never be happy with her--never!" said the Professor, -decidedly. - -"Were you ever married, Professor?" asked Ruth with sudden curiosity. - -"Yes, I was married when I was thirty--but my Gretchen only lived two -years. I haf mourned for her more than thirty years." - -"You have waited a long time, Professor." - -"Yes; till I saw you, Mees Ruth, I never haf seen the woman I wanted to -marry. Perhaps," he added with sudden hope, "this young man, Stephen, -does not wish to marry you." - -"He will be only too glad," said Ruth, tossing her head. "He offered -himself to me a year ago." - -"Then there is no hope for me?" - -"None at all, Professor." - -They had reached Waverley Place, and so there was no time for further -conversation. As they came up the stoop Mrs. Wyman saw them through the -window. She was in waiting in the hall. - -"Have you had a nice walk _together_?" she purred. - -"How I hate that woman!" said Ruth to herself. - -She ran up stairs and prepared for supper. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -SITS THE WIND IN THAT QUARTER. - - -Of course I attended the Patti concert. The seat given me was in the -best part of the house, and I felt somewhat bashful when I found that -all my neighbors wore dress suits. My own suit--the best I had--was -beginning to show the marks of wear, but I did not dare go to the -expense of another. - -My next neighbor was an elderly gentleman, bordering upon sixty. In the -twenty minutes that elapsed before the rise of the curtain we fell into -a pleasant conversation. It was pleasant to find that he was becoming -interested in me. - -"You enjoy Patti?" he said. "But then I hardly need ask that. Your -presence here is sufficient evidence." - -"I have no doubt I shall enjoy Patti," I answered. "I have never heard -her." - -"Indeed? How does that happen?" - -"Because I have been only three months in New York. I came here from the -country, and of course I had no chance to hear her there." - -"Excuse my curiosity, but you do not look like a business man." - -"I am not. I am a practising physician." - -"Indeed!" he replied, with interest. "I wish you could cure my -rheumatism." - -"I should like a chance to try." - -This was a little audacious, as probably he had his own family -physician, but it came naturally upon his remark. - -"You shall try," he said, impulsively. "My family physician has failed -to benefit me." - -"It may be so with me." - -"At any rate I will try you. Can you call at my house to-morrow at -eleven o'clock?" - -"I will do so with pleasure." - -He gave me his card. I found that his name was Gregory Vincent, and that -he lived in one of the finest parts of Madison Avenue. It occurred to me -that he was perhaps imprudent in trusting an unknown young physician, -but I was not foolish enough to tell him so. - -"I will call," I said with professional gravity, and I entered the name -and engagement in my medical note-book. - -Here the curtain rose, and our thoughts were soon occupied by the stage. - -When the concert was over, my new friend as he shook my hand, said, "I -can rely upon your calling to-morrow, Dr. Fenwick?" - -"I will not fail you." - -"I don't know how it is," he said, "but though we are strangers I have a -prophetic instinct that you can help me." - -"I will do my best, Mr. Vincent." - -Congratulating myself on my new and promising patient, I made my way -into the lobby. There presently I met Mrs. Wyman and Count Penelli. I -learned later that she had purchased two cheap seats and invited the -Count to accompany her. They had not distinguished me in the audience, I -was so far away from them. - -"Dr. Fenwick!" exclaimed Mrs. Wyman, in surprise. "I thought you said -you were not coming." - -"I changed my mind," I answered, smiling. "Of course, you enjoyed the -concert?" - -"Did I not? But where were you sitting?" - -"In the orchestra." - -"What! Among the millionaires?" - -"I don't know if they were millionaires. I was ashamed of my appearance. -All wore dress suits except myself and the ladies." - -"It seems to me, doctor, you were extravagant." - -"It does seem so." - -I did not propose to enlighten Mrs. Wyman as to the small expense I was -at for a ticket. I could see with secret amusement that her respect for -me was increased by my supposed liberal outlay. In this respect I showed -to advantage beside her escort who had availed himself of a ticket -purchased by her. She had represented that the tickets were sent her by -the management. - -"The Count had an advantage over us," said the widow. "He could -understand the language." - -"_Si_, Signora," said the Count, with a smile. - -"It wasn't the words I cared for," said I. "I should enjoy Patti if she -sang in Arabic." - -"Well, perhaps so. Were you ever in Italy, doctor?" - -"No, the only foreign country I ever visited was New Jersey." - -"Is New Jersey then a foreign country?" asked the Count, puzzled. - -"It is only a joke, Count," said the widow. - -"And a poor one, I admit." - -"The Count had been telling me of his ancestral home, of the vine-clad -hills, and the olive trees, and the orange groves. Oh, I am wild to -visit that charming Italy." - -"Perhaps you may do so some day, my dear Mrs. Wyman," said the Count, in -a soft tone. - -The widow cast down her eyes. - -"It would be too lovely," she said. - -When we reached the boarding-house, the Count asked, "May I come up to -your room, Dr. Fenwick?" - -"Certainly. I shall be glad to have you do so." My room was a small one. -I should have had to pay a higher price for a larger one. However, I -gave the Count my only chair, and sat on the bed. - -"Is it permitted?" he asked, as he lighted a cigarette. - -"Oh, yes," I replied, but I only said so out of politeness. It was -decidedly disagreeable to have any one smoke in my chamber in the -evening. I could, however, open the window afterwards and give it an -airing. - -"Mrs. Wyman is a very fine woman," said the Count, after a pause. - -"Very," I responded, briefly. - -"And she is rich, is she not?" he asked, in some anxiety. - -"Sits the wind in that quarter?" I thought. "Well, I won't stand in the -way." - -"She seems independent." - -"Ah! you mean--" - -"That she has enough to live upon. She never seemed to have any money -troubles. I suppose it is the same with you, you no doubt draw a -revenue from your estates in Italy?" - -"No, no, you make a mistake. They belong to my father, and he is -displease with me. He will send me no money." - -"Are you the oldest son?" - -"_Si_, signor!" but he answered hesitatingly. - -"Then you will be all right some day." - -"True, doctor, some day, but just now I am what you call short. You -could do me a great favor." - -"What is it?" - -"If you could lend me fifty dollar?" - -"My dear Count, it would be quite impossible. Do you think I am rich?" - -"You pay five--six dollar for your ticket to hear Patti." - -"It was imprudent, but I wished to hear her; now I must be careful." - -"I would pay you when I get my next remittance from Italy." - -"It will not be possible," I answered, firmly. "Have you asked Prof. -Poppendorf?" - -"No! Has he got money?" - -"I think he has more than I." - -"I have a special use for the money," said the Count, but I did not ask -what it was. - -Presently the Count rose and left me. It took twenty minutes to clear -the room of the vile smell of cigarette smoke. - -"After all," thought I, "there is a chance for Mrs. Wyman to become a -Countess, that is if he is a real Count." Upon this point I did not feel -certain. - -"Well, did you enjoy Patti?" asked Miss Blagden at the breakfast table. - -"Immensely. Why did you not go?" - -"Because I have very little taste for music," answered the Disagreeable -Woman. - -"Mrs. Wyman was there." - -"She sings," said Miss Blagden, with a slight smile. - -"Yes, the Count was with her." - -"Humph! where did they sit?" - -"In the upper part of the house somewhere. I felt myself out of place -among the Four Hundred. But it brought me luck." - -"How is that?" - -"I secured a patient, a Mr. Gregory Vincent of Madison Avenue." - -"Was Gregory Vincent there? How did you make his acquaintance?" - -"He was my next neighbor. He seemed to take a liking to me, confided to -me that he was a victim of rheumatism, and I am to assume charge of his -case." - -"I am very glad," said Miss Blagden, heartily. "Do your best to cure -him." - -"I will." - -"And don't be afraid to send him in a good bill." - -"I am sure he will pay me liberally." - -"It may be your stepping stone to success." - -"Thank you for your kind interest." - -"And how is your poor patient--Alice Mills?" - -"Quite well now, but I wish she were not obliged to spend so many hours -in a crowded store." - -"When do you call there again?" - -"I may call this morning." - -"I will go with you. I have a plan for them." - -Miss Blagden accompanied me to the poor house. She was so kind and -gentle that I did not understand how any one could call her the -Disagreeable Woman. - -In a few days, thanks to her, Mrs. Mills was installed as housekeeper to -a wealthy widower in Fifty-seventh street. Alice was made governess to -two young children, and Frank was provided with a home in return for -some slight services. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -MY RICH PATIENT. - - -When I was admitted to the house of Gregory Vincent, I was surprised by -its magnificence. It has been said that there are few palaces in Europe -that compare in comfort and luxury with a first class New York mansion. -I have never been in a palace, and Mr. Vincent's house was the only -aristocratic house which I had had an opportunity to view. But I am -prepared to indorse the remark. - -I handed my card to the liveried servant who opened the door. - -"Dr. Fenwick," he repeated. "Yes, sir; you are expected." - -He led me upstairs into an elegant library, or sitting-room and library -combined. Here sat my acquaintance of the evening before, with his foot -swathed in bandages and resting on a chair, while he was seated in a -cosy arm-chair. - -"Good-morning, doctor," he said. "I am glad to see you. You see that I -am in the grasp of my old enemy." - -"We will try to rout him," I said, cheerfully. - -"That sounds well, and encourages me. Do you know, Dr. Fenwick, that -without any special reason I feel great confidence in you. You are a -young man, probably not more than half as old as my regular physician, -but he has not been able to do me any good." - -"And I hope to be able to do so." - -"I suppose you have had experience in such cases?" - -"Yes, I have an old aunt who had suffered untold tortures from -rheumatism. She put herself under my charge, and for her sake I made an -extensive study of rheumatic cases and remedies." - -"Well?" he asked, eagerly. - -"I finally cured her. It is now three years since she has had a twinge." - -"Good! My instinct was correct. That gives me hopes of success under -your charge. Don't be afraid to lose your patient by effecting a speedy -cure. I will make you a promise. When you have so far cured me that I am -free from rheumatic pains for three months, I will hand you a check for -a thousand dollars." - -"A thousand dollars!" I repeated with sparkling eyes. "That will indeed -be an inducement." - -"Of course I shall pay you your regular fees besides." - -I could hardly credit my good fortune. I was like one who had just -received intelligence that I had drawn a large sum in the lottery. I -determined to win the promised check if there was any chance. - -I began to question Mr. Vincent as to his trouble. I found that it was a -case of rheumatic gout. A difficult case, but very similar to that of -my aunt. I resolved to try the same treatment with him. - -I wished to ask some questions, but he forestalled them. - -"I have no wife," he said. "I was left a widower many years ago. My -niece and myself constitute our whole family." - -"Don't you feel lonely at times?" I asked. - -"Yes. My niece has her friends, suited to one of her age, but little -company for me. If I had a nephew now--like yourself--it would cheer me -up and give me a new interest in life." - -"I wish you were my uncle," I said to myself. - -"I am an old man, but I have great interest in young company. I think it -was that that drew me toward you at Patti's concert. When I learned that -you were a physician I saw that I could make it worth your while to call -on an old man. I hope you are not a very busy man." - -"Not yet," I answered, guardedly. I felt that it would be unwise to let -him know how far from a busy man I was. - -"Then you will be able to call upon me every day." - -"I will do so gladly, but it will not be necessary--from a medical point -of view." - -"No matter! I shall be glad to have you come, and of course I pay for -your time. It will be an advantage, no doubt, to have your patient under -constant observation." - -"That is true." - -"Now I won't put you to the trouble of keeping an account of your -visits. I will agree to pay you twenty-five dollars a week if that will -be satisfactory." - -Twenty-five dollars a week! Why I scarcely made that sum in fees in a -month. - -"It is more than I should think of charging," I said, frankly. - -"Then it _is_ satisfactory. Your money will be paid you at the end of -every week." - -When I left the house I felt as if I had suddenly come into a fortune. -Now I could see my way clear. The little stock of money which still -remained to me would suffer no further diminution. On the contrary, I -should be able to add to it. - -It is said that there comes to every man once in his life a chance to -succeed. Apparently mine had come to me, and this chance had come to me -through the Disagreeable Woman. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE PROFESSOR'S BOOK. - - -For some weeks matters went on quietly at our boarding-house. Prof. -Poppendorf, in spite of the failure of his matrimonial schemes, ate, -smoked, and drank as tranquilly as ever. Ruth was grateful to him that -he had accepted her refusal as final, and disturbed her no more. They -still sat near each other at the table, but there was never anything in -his manner to indicate that there had been any romantic passages between -them. - -The Disagreeable Woman remained as great a mystery as ever. Sometimes -she was absent for three or four days together. Then she would suddenly -reappear. No one ever asked where she had been. It would have taken rare -courage to do that. Nor did she ever volunteer any explanation. - -Whether she possessed large means or not no one could conjecture. She -always paid her board bill, and with unfailing regularity, at the end of -every week. Her dress was always plain, but oftentimes of costly -material. She seldom indulged in conversation, though she was always -ready with an answer when spoken to. Perhaps I may mention as exceptions -to her general rule of reticence the young woman from Macy's and myself. -She seemed to feel more kindly toward us than toward any of the others. - -There had been various attempts to find out where she lived. None had -succeeded. One day Mrs. Wyman asked the question directly. - -"Where do you live, Miss Blagden, if you will allow me to ask?" - -"I will allow you to ask," returned the Disagreeable Woman, coolly. "Do -you propose to call on me?" - -"If you will permit me." - -"It is hardly necessary. We meet at the table every day. I am a hermit," -she added after a pause, "I do not care to receive visitors." - -"I once heard of a hermit who lived in one of the cottages on the rocks -near Central Park," said the widow, rather impertinently. - -"I don't live there!" said the Disagreeable Woman, composedly. - -"Of course not. I did not suppose you did." - -"Thank you. You are right as usual." - -If Miss Blagden meant to be sarcastic, nothing in her tone revealed it. -She had warded off the attack dictated by curiosity. - -Whether Miss Blagden was rich or not, she was always ready to contribute -to any public or private cause. When Prof. Poppendorf announced that he -was about to publish a book, enlarged from his lecture on "The Material -and The Immaterial." Miss Blagden subscribed for two copies. - -"One is for you, Dr. Fenwick!" she said, in a low tone. - -"Thank you, Miss Blagden. You are very kind. Am I expected to read it?" - -"If you can," she responded with a grim smile. - -The other boarders were asked, but each had some excuse. - -"I have just bought a new hat," said Mrs. Wyman. - -"I no understand English," said the Count. - -"Do you think I ought to subscribe, Miss Blagden?" asked Ruth. - -"No, child. Why should you? You have a use for your money. Besides, you -would not understand it. If you wish, I will buy one for you?" - -"No, thank you, Miss Blagden. It would be of no use to me, but I -thought the Professor would think it friendly." - -She could not explain that she wished to make amends for refusing his -suit, for she had with rare delicacy abstained from mentioning the -learned German's uncouth courtship. Perhaps Miss Blagden, who was very -observing, penetrated her motive, for she said: "There is something in -that. Subscribe, and I will pay for the book." - -Upon this Ruth gently told the Professor that she would take a copy. - -He was surprised and delighted. - -"By all means Mees Ruth, but perhaps I should give you one." - -"No, no, Prof. Poppendorf. I want to show my interest in you--and your -book." - -"You are so good. I will give you the first copy." - -"Thank you," said Ruth, shyly. - -"What do you want of the old fossil's book?" asked Mrs. Wyman later, -when the Professor was out of hearing. "I suspect that you are in love -with the Professor." - -"No, you don't suspect that," said Ruth, composedly. - -"At any rate he seems struck with you." - -"I suppose I am either material or immaterial," returned Ruth, laughing. - -"You went to walk with him one evening." - -"I am afraid you are jealous, Mrs. Wyman." - -The widow laughed and the conversation ended. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -A SPEECH FROM THE THRONE. - - -It was some time since Mrs. Gray had made any communication to the -boarders. - -But one evening she seemed laboring under suppressed excitement. - -"Something is up," said Mr. Blake, the young reporter who sat on my -left, the Disagreeable Woman being on my right. - -"We shall have it after supper," I answered. - -Mrs. Gray always waited till the last boarder had finished his meal. It -was one of the unwritten laws of the boarding-house. - -The last boarder on this occasion was Professor Poppendorf. He was the -heartiest eater, and we usually had to wait for him. When he had taken -the last sip of beer, for in consideration of his national tastes he was -always supplied with a schooner of that liquid which is dear to the -Teutonic heart, Mrs. Gray opened her mouth. - -"My friends," she said, "I have a letter to read to you." - -She opened a perfumed billet, adjusted her spectacles, and read. - -"It is from Mrs. Wyman," she said, "and it is at her request that I read -it." - -We had already noticed that neither Mrs. Wyman nor the Count was -present. - -Mrs. Gray began: - - -"MY DEAR MRS. GRAY:--For three years I have been an inmate of your happy -home. I have come to feel an interest in it and in all whose -acquaintance I have made here. I had no thought of leaving you, but -circumstances make it necessary. Let me say at once that I have -consented to marry Count di Penelli. You who are familiar with his fine -traits and aristocratic bearing will hardly be surprised that I have -been unable to resist his ardent entreaties. I had indeed intended never -to marry again, but it was because I never expected to find one who -could take the place of my dear departed first husband. The Count and I -leave by an early train for Philadelphia where the ceremony will be -performed. We may remain there for a few days. Beyond that our plans are -not arranged. We would have had a public wedding and invited our -friends, but as the Count's family are in Italy and cannot be present, -we thought it best to have a simple private ceremony. When we go to -Italy next summer there may be another ceremony at the Penelli Castle in -Southern Italy. - -"I cannot tell when I shall return to New York. Probably I shall never -again be an inmate of your happy home. The Count and I may take a flat -up-town--a whole house would be too large for us. But I shall--we shall -certainly call on our old friends, and I trust that the ties that bind -us together in friendship may never weaken. - -"I shall soon be the Countess di Penelli. But once more and for the last -time, I subscribe myself - -"Your faithful and devoted -"LETITIA WYMAN." - - -We listened to the reading of the letter in silent excitement. Then -there was a chorus of exclamations. - -"Did you ever?" ejaculated the young woman from Macy's. - -"I am not surprised," said the Disagreeable woman, calmly. "Mrs. Wyman -has been courting the Count ever since he came here." - -"You mean that he has been paying his attentions to her," suggested Mr. -Blake, the reporter. - -"No, I mean what I say." - -"She says she had no thought of marrying again." - -"Mr. Blake, you are a young man. You don't understand women, and -particularly widows. Probably there is not a gentleman at the table whom -Mrs. Wyman has not thought of as a matrimonial subject, yourself not -excepted." - -Mr. Blake was a very young man, and he blushed. - -"She would not have married me," growled the Professor. - -Most of us smiled. - -"Are you pledged to celibacy, Professor?" asked the landlady. - -"No, madam. If a certain young lady would marry me I would marry -to-morrow." - -Ruth Canby blushed furiously, and was indignant with herself for doing -so, especially as it drew all glances to her. - -"Let us hope you may be successful in your suit, Professor," said Mrs. -Gray. - -"Thank you, my dear lady; time will show." - -Miss Blagden turned her searching glance upon the flaming cheeks of Ruth -and smiled kindly. If there was any one at the table whom she liked it -was the young woman from Macy's. - -"I suppose there is no doubt about his being a Count," suggested Mr. -Blake. - -"I should say there was a good deal of doubt," answered the Disagreeable -Woman. - -"Do you really think so?" - -"It is my conjecture." - -"Oh, I think there is no doubt about it," said the landlady, who prided -herself on having had so aristocratic a boarder. - -"I am a loser by this marriage," said Mrs. Gray. "I have two rooms -suddenly vacated." - -"A friend of mine will take one of them," said Mr. Blake, the reporter. -"He has been wishing to get in here for a month." - -"I shall be glad to receive him," said Mrs. Gray, graciously. - -The other room was also taken within a week. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -A STARTLING DISCOVERY. - - -Usually I secured a morning paper, and ran over the contents at my -office while waiting for patients. - -It was perhaps a week later that I selected the _Herald_--I did not -confine myself exclusively to one paper--and casually my eye fell upon -the arrivals at the hotels. - -I started in surprise as I read among the guests at the Brevoort House -the name of Count di Penelli. - -"What!" I exclaimed, "are our friends back again? Why is not the -Countess mentioned? Perhaps, however, the Count has left his wife in -Philadelphia, and come on here on business." - -It chanced that I had occasion to pass the Brevoort an hour later. - -I was prompted to call and inquire for the Count. - -"Yes, he is in. Will you send up your card?" - -I hastily inscribed my name on a card and sent it up to his room. - -The bell-boy soon returned. - -"The Count will be glad to see you, sir," he said. "Will you follow me?" - -"He is getting ceremonious," I reflected. "I thought he would come down -to see me." - -I followed the bell-boy to a room on the second floor. - -"Dr. Fenwick?" he said, as the door was opened. - -I saw facing me a tall, slender, dark-complexioned man of about -forty-five, a perfect stranger to me. - -"I wished to see Count di Penelli," I stammered, in some confusion. - -"I am the Count," he answered, courteously. - -"But the Count I know is a young man." - -"There is no other Count di Penelli." - -"Pardon me!" I said, "but a young man calling himself by that name was -for two months a fellow boarder of mine." - -"Describe him, if you please," said the Count, eagerly. - -I did so. - -"Ah," said the Count, when I concluded, "it is doubtless my valet, who -has been masquerading under my title. He ran away from me at the West, -nearly three months since, carrying with him three hundred dollars. I -set detectives upon his track, but they could find no clue. Is the -fellow still at your boarding-house?" - -"No, Count, he eloped a week since with a widow, another of our -boarders. I believe they are in Philadelphia." - -"Then he has deceived the poor woman. Has she got money?" - -"A little. I don't think she has much." - -"That is what he married her for. Doubtless he supposed her wealthy. He -had probably spent all the money he took from me." - -"I hope, Count, for the sake of his wife, you will not have him -arrested." - -Count di Penelli shrugged his shoulders. - -"I will let him go at your request, poor devil," he said. "Why did she -marry him?" - -"For his title." - -"Then the heart is not concerned?" - -"I never discovered that Mrs. Wyman had a heart." - -"Probably both will be heartily sick of the marriage, perhaps are so -already." - -"Thank you for your information, Count." - -"And I thank you for yours. Good-morning!" - -I said nothing at the boarding-house of the discovery I had made. Why -should I? So far as the rest of the boarders knew Mrs. Wyman was a -veritable Countess. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -AFTER THREE MONTHS. - - -The curtain falls and rises again after an interval of three months. - -There have been some changes in our boarding-house. Prof. Poppendorf -still occupies his accustomed place, and so does Miss Blagden. The young -reporter still sits at my left, and entertains me with interesting -gossip and information about public affairs and public men with whom he -has come in contact. - -But the young woman from Macy's has left us. She has returned to her -country home and is now the wife of her rustic admirer, Stephen Higgins. -I think she has done wisely. Life in the great stores is a species of -slavery, and she could save nothing from her salary. When Prof. -Poppendorf heard of her marriage, he looked depressed, but I noticed -that his appetite was not affected. A true Teuton seldom allows anything -to interfere with that. - -Mrs. Gray has received two or three notes from the Countess di Penelli. -They treated of business matters solely. Whether she has discovered that -her husband's title is spurious I cannot tell. I hear, however, from a -drummer who is with us at intervals, that she is keeping a -boarding-house on Spring Garden street, and that her title has been the -magnet that has drawn to her house many persons who are glad in this way -to obtain a titled acquaintance. - -As for myself I am on the high road to a comfortable income. I was -fortunate enough to give my rich patient so much relief that I have -received the large check he promised me, and have been recommended by -him to several of his friends. I have thought seriously of removing to -a more fashionable neighborhood, but have refrained--will it be -believed?--from my reluctance to leave the Disagreeable Woman. I am -beginning to understand her better. Under a brusque exterior she -certainly possesses a kind heart, and consideration for others. Upon -everything in the shape of humbug or pretension she is severe, but she -can appreciate worth and true nobility. In more than one instance I have -applied to her in behalf of a poor patient, and never in vain. - -Yet I am as much in the dark as ever as to her circumstances and -residence. Upon these subjects I have ceased, not perhaps to feel, but -to show any curiosity. The time was coming, however, when I should learn -more of her. - -One day a young girl came to my office. Her mother kept a modest lodging -house on West Eleventh street, and she had been my patient. - -"Any one sick at home, Sarah?" I asked. - -"No, doctor, but we have a lodger who is very low with a fever. I think -he is very poor. I am afraid he cannot pay a doctor, but mother thought -you would be willing to call." - -"To be sure," I said, cheerfully, "I will be at your house in an hour." - -An hour found me ringing at the door of Mrs. Graham's plain lodging -house. - -"I thought you would come, Dr. Fenwick," said the good woman, who -personally answered the bell. "You come in good time, for poor Mr. -Douglas is very sick." - -"I will follow you to his room." - -He occupied a small room on the third floor. It was furnished in plain -fashion. The patient, a man who was apparently nearing fifty, was -tossing restlessly on his bed. Poorly situated as he was, I could see -that in health he must have been a man of distinguished bearing. -Poverty and he seemed ill-mated. - -"Mr. Douglas," said the landlady, "this is Dr. Fenwick. I took the -liberty of calling him, as you are so ill." - -The sick man turned upon me a glance from a pair of full, black eyes. - -"Dr. Fenwick," he said, sadly, "I thank you for coming, but I am almost -a pauper, and I fear I cannot pay you for your services." - -"That matters little," I replied. "You need me, that is enough. Let me -feel your pulse." - -I found that he was in a high fever. His symptoms were serious. He -looked like a man with a constitution originally strong, but it had been -severely tried. - -"Well?" he asked. - -"You are seriously ill. I am not prepared just now with my diagnosis, -but I can tell better in a day or two." - -"Shall I be long ill?" he asked. - -"It will take time to recover." - -"Shall I recover?" he asked, pointedly. - -"We will hope for the best." - -"I understand. Don't think I am alarmed. Life has few charms for me. My -chief trouble is that I shall be a burden to you and Mrs. Graham." - -"Don't think of me, I have a fair practise, but I have time for you." - -"Thank you, doctor. You are very kind." - -"Let me put down your name," I said, taking down my tablets. - -"My name is Philip Douglas." - -I noted the name, and shortly left him. - -I felt that in his critical condition he ought to have a nurse, but -where was the money to come from to pay one? - -"He is no common man," I reflected. "He has been rich. His personal -surroundings do not fit him." - -Somehow I had already come to feel an interest in my patient. There was -something in his appearance that set me wondering what his past could -have been. - -"It must have been his misfortune, not his fault," I decided, for he -bore no marks of dissipation. - -Under favorable circumstances I felt that I could pull him through, but -without careful attendance and generous living there was great doubt. -What should I do? I decided to speak of his case to the Disagreeable -Woman. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -I APPEAL TO THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN. - - -"Miss Blagden," I said when the opportunity came, "I want to interest -you in a patient of mine--a gentleman to whom I was called this -morning." - -"Speak freely, doctor. Is there anything I can do for him?" - -"Much, for he requires much. He is lying in a poor lodging-house -grievously ill with a fever. He has little or no money, yet he must once -have been in affluent circumstances. Without a trained nurse, and the -comforts that only money can buy, I fear he will not live." - -"It is a sad case. I am willing to cooperate with you. What is your -patient's name?" - -"Philip Douglas." - -"Philip Douglas!" she exclaimed, in evident excitement. "Tell me -quickly, what is his appearance?" - -"He is a large man, of striking appearance, with full, dark eyes, who -must in earlier days have been strikingly handsome." - -"And he is poor, and ill?" she said, breathless. - -"Very poor and very ill." - -Her breath came quick. She seemed deeply agitated. - -"And where is he living?" - -"In No. -- West Eleventh Street." - -"Take me there at once." - -I looked at her in amazement. - -"Dr. Fenwick," she said, "you wonder at my excitement. I will explain -it. This man, Philip Douglas, and I were once engaged to be married. The -engagement was broken through my fault and my folly. I have regretted it -many times. I have much to answer for. I fear that I wrecked his life, -and it may be too late to atone. But I will try. Lead me to him." - -I bowed gravely, and we set out. - -Arrived at the lodging-house I thought it prudent to go up alone. I -feared that excitement might be bad for my patient. - -He was awake and resting more comfortably. - -"How do you feel?" I asked. - -"Better, doctor. Thanks to you." - -"Have you no relatives whom you would wish to see--or friends?" - -"I have no relatives in New York," he said. - -"Or friends?" - -He paused and looked thoughtful. - -"I don't know," he answered, slowly. "There is one--I have not seen her -for many years--but it is impossible, yet I would give my life to see -Jane Blagden." - -"Why not send for her?" - -"She would not come. We were friends once--very dear friends--I hoped -to marry her. Now I am poor and broken in health, I must give up the -thought." - -"Could you bear to see her? Would it not make you ill?" - -"What do you mean, doctor?" he asked, quickly. - -"I mean that Miss Blagden is below. She wishes to see you." - -"Can it be? Are you a magician? How could you know of her?" - -"Never mind that. Shall I bring her up?" - -"Yes." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -AT LAST. - - -Jane Blagden paused a moment at the entrance to the room, as if to -gather strength for the interview. I had never seen her so moved. Then -she opened the door and entered with a firm step. - -He lay on the bed with his eyes fixed eagerly on the door. As she -entered he tried to raise his head. - -"Jane!" he exclaimed, eagerly. - -She placed her hand for a moment on her heart, as if to still its -throbbing. Then she walked quickly to the bed. - -"Philip!" she said. - -"At last!" he cried, in a low voice. - -"Can you forgive me, Philip, dear Philip?" - -"If there is anything to forgive." - -"There is--much. I am afraid you have suffered." - -"I have." - -"And so have I. Since we parted I have been lonely--desolate. I let my -pride and my obstinacy come between us--but I have been punished." - -She had drawn a chair to the bed-side, and sitting down took his hand in -hers. It was hot, feverish. - -"You are very ill, I fear." - -"I shall be better now," he murmured. "It is worth much to have you -beside me." - -I looked at the face of the Disagreeable Woman. I saw upon it an -expression I had never seen before--an expression that made her look ten -years younger. I could not have believed in the tenderness, the -heart-warmth which it showed. - -"Philip," she said, "you must get well for my sake." - -"And if I do?" he asked, eagerly. - -"It shall be as you wish." - -He closed his eyes, and a look of happiness and content lighted up his -features. But soon there was a change. It was evident that the -excitement had been too much for him. - -"Miss Blagden," I said, "I think you must go. Our patient is too weak to -stand any more excitement or agitation." - -"Can I not stay here as his nurse?" she pleaded. - -"It will be better to have a trained nurse--one who will not agitate -him." - -"As you think best, doctor," she said, meekly, "but I will stay in the -house. How soon can you send a nurse?" - -"Within an hour." - -"Do so, and I will stay here till then. If he wakes I will leave the -room." - -Within an hour a trained nurse was installed in the sick chamber. Miss -Blagden made an arrangement with Mrs. Graham to occupy a room which had -fortunately been vacated the day previous. It was small and -uncomfortable, but she cared little for this. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE LIGHT OF HOPE. - - -Then commenced the struggle with disease. Philip Douglas was very ill. I -had not exaggerated the danger. He was unconscious most of the time, but -in spite of that he seemed to have a dim consciousness that there was -some good in store for him. - -While he was unconscious Miss Blagden felt at liberty to spend a part of -her time in the room. She assisted the nurse, and waited patiently for -the patient's amendment. - -For three days it was a matter of doubt whether he would live or die. I -gave up all other patients for him. I had become almost as anxious as -Miss Blagden. I watched Philip Douglas narrowly to note any change -either for the better or worse. It was a long and wearisome vigil. I was -waiting for the crisis. - -At length it came. He began to breathe more freely, though still -unconscious. I noticed a change for the better in his pulse. Her eyes as -well as mine were fixed upon the sick man. Finally her eyes sought my -face with eager questioning. - -"Is there a change?" she asked. - -"Yes, he will live." - -"Thank God!" she breathed, fervently, and a look of grateful joy lighted -up the face of the Disagreeable Woman. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious typographic errors have been corrected. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE DISAGREEABLE WOMAN*** - - -******* This file should be named 54660.txt or 54660.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/4/6/6/54660 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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