104
meeting him but that was all. He�s naturally
suspicious � always was so. We parted, he promising
to call on me. Returning to the Pic: I wasted
nearly an hour waiting for Bellew, who according to
his invariable habits of delay didn�t appear, getting
wrathy enough. Partly in the big, dull office, partly
in the dank, drizzly street where the tide of Nassau
Street employees, male and female, was setting up-
townwards. Strongly inclined to go and seize copy and
clear � didn�t though. To Brooklyn, cars, to Par-
tons. A vile muddy, dank, miserable day as any in
the calendar. Parton and Fanny came to the door
just as I had rung the bell. They had been, the
whole day, house hunting in New York; deciding on
leaving Brooklyn in May. Talk of Jim�s southern
tour, supper, Mort Thomson came after and
stayed till bed-time. Parton and I upstairs to smoke
a cigar; he generously interesting himself as to my
fortunes � wanted me to try a story or so for the
�Ledger,� volunteering that if �should be read�. (He
had forgotten my bit of chaff about �Silenus Gobb� in
the P.N.Y.B.H, and Bonner�s resenting it � that�s
blocked my chance there, and if that didn�t do it,
the Omnibus �cawicachaws� would. Said so.) Down
stairs again. Mort says O�Brien has gone to
Boston, having entirely used up all his chances here.
He was shewn the door at the Everett House. The
�Diamond Lens� theft ended all his chance in the