"
He had something, but not so much, of the difficulty in overcoming
Lemuel's reluctance that he had feared, and on the morning named
Lemuel presented himself at the address on Bellingham's card exactly
at nine. He had the card in his hand, and he gave it to the man who
opened the street door of the bachelors' apartment house where
Bellingham lived. The man read it carefully over, and then said, "Oh
yes; second floor," and, handing it back, left Lemuel to wander
upstairs alone. He was going to offer the card again at Bellingham's
door, but he had a dawning misgiving. Bellingham had opened the door
himself, and, feigning to regard the card as offered by way of
introduction, he gave his hand cordially, and led him into the cozy
room, where the table was already laid for breakfast.
"Glad to see you, glad to see you, Mr. Barker. Give me your coat.
Ah, I see you scorn the effeminacy of half-season things. Put your
hat anywhere. The advantage of bachelors' quarters is that you
_can_ put anything anywhere. We haven't a woman on the premises, and
you can fancy how unmolested we are."
Lemuel had caught sight of one over the mantel, who had nothing but
her water-colours on, and was called an "Etude;" but he no longer
trembled, for evil or for good, in such presences. "That's one of
those Romano-Spanish things," said Bellingham, catching the
direction of his eye.
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