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  19.  Wednesday.   Damoreau appeared, ha-
ving a day�s holiday in common with those of
his craft on Harper�s.      He and Cahill chat-
tered while I scribbled � compilation work
for the Budget.      Cahill going down town,
I spoke of Nicholas� marriage.      Quite a
romantic affair, quoth Charley, � sensible
match, too, � lady neither very young nor hand-
some � had fallen in love with George Wash-
ington Nicholas while he was engaged to his
first wife � never said anything about it �
had once met him, a married man, in the
cars on the way from Newark to New York
� had spent a platonic day with him � re-
cently the pair had resumed their acquaintance
at the juncture where it had been broken off.
I spoke uncommittingly of Nicholas� pen-
chant for Sally Edwards and heard his ver-
sion of the affair, from Damoreau.   A mere
flirtation � he never intended anything � he could-
n�t, of course, think seriously of such a match �
he had a little girl aged so and so who must
have a step-mother able to take care of her � the
girl.    (Sally) seemed taken with him and the
family seemed to expect it � he thought they
were a little disappointed &c &c ! !           Damo-
reau believed all this.    How mad it would