When the lecture was over many of the audience pressed forward to shake
the Hon. Mr. Halloway's hand. Tom Martin hooked his arm in that of the
sallow gentleman and passed out with him.
"Mighty humanizin' view Kedge took of that there insect," remarked Mr.
Martin. "I don't recollect I ever heard of no mournfuller error than
that'n. I noticed you spoke of Halloway as a 'thinker,' without mentioning
what kind. I didn't know, before, that you were as cautious a man as
that."
"Does your satire find nothing sacred, Martin?" returned the other, "not
even the Honorable Kedge Halloway?"
"I wouldn't presume," replied old Tom, "to make light of the catastrophe
that overtook the heedless fly. When Halloway went on to other subjects I
was so busy picturin' the last moments of that closin' life, stuck there
in the fly-paper, I couldn't listen to him. But there's no use dwellin' on
a sorrow we can't help. Look at the moon; it's full enough to cheer us
up." They had emerged from the court-house and paused on the street as the
stream of townsfolk divided and passed by them to take different routes
leading from the Square. Not far away, some people were getting into a
buckboard. Fisbee and Miss Sherwood were already on the rear seat.
"Who's with him, to-night, Mr. Fisbee?" asked Judge Briscoe in a low
voice.
"No one. He is going directly to the office. To-morrow is Thursday, one of
our days of publication."
"Oh, then it's all right. Climb in, Minnie, we're waiting for you." The
judge offered his hand to his daughter.
"In a moment, father," she answered. "I'm going to ask him to call," she
said to the other girl.
"But won't he--"
Miss Briscoe laughed. "He never comes to see me!" She walked over to where
Martin and the young man were looking up at the moon, and addressed the
journalist.
"I've been trying to get a chance to speak to you for a week," she said,
offering him her hand; "I wanted to tell you I had a friend coming to
visit me Won't you come to see us? She's here."
The young man bowed. "Thank you," he answered. "Thank you, very much. I
shall be very glad." His tone had the meaningless quality of perfunctory
courtesy; Miss Briscoe detected only the courtesy; but the strange lady
marked the lack of intention in his words.
"Don't you include me, Minnie?" inquired Mr Martin, plaintively. "I'll try
not to be too fascinatin', so as to give our young friend a show. It was
love at first sight with me. I give Miss Seliny warning soon as your folks
come in and I got a good look at the lady."
As the buckboard drove away, Miss Sherwood, who had been gazing
steadfastly at the two figures still standing in the street, the tall
ungainly old one, and the taller, loosely-held young one (he had not
turned to look at her) withdrew her eyes from them, bent them seriously
upon Fisbee, and asked: "What did you mean when you said no one was with
him to-night?"