y
she gave up and sat still in the sad patience of uncourted women. In
this attitude she became a burden to Isabel, who was glad when the three
took themselves away, and were succeeded by a very stylish couple--from
New York, she knew as well as if they had given her their address on
West 999th Street. The lady was not pretty, and she was not, Isabel
thought, dressed in the perfect taste of Boston; but she owned frankly
to herself that the New-Yorkeress was stylish, undeniably effective. The
gentleman bought a ticket for New York, and remained at the window of
the office talking quite easily with the seller.

"You couldn't do that, my poor Basil," said Isabel, "you'd be afraid."

"O dear, yes; I'm only too glad to get off without browbeating; though
I must say that this officer looks affable enough. Really," he added, as
an acquaintance of the ticket-seller came in and nodded to him and said
"Hot, to-day!" "this is very strange. I always felt as if these men had
no private life, no friendships like the rest of us. On duty they seem
so like sovereigns, set apart from mankind, and above us all, that it's
quite incredible they should have the common personal relations."

At intervals of their talk and silence there came vivid flashes of
lightning and quite heavy shocks of thunder, very consoling to our
friends, who took them as so many compliments to their prudence in not
going by the boat, and who had secret doubts of their wisdom whenever
these acknowledgments were withheld. Isabel went so far as to say
that she hoped nothing would happen to the boat, but I think she would
cheerfully have learnt that the vessel had been obliged to put back to
Newport, on account of the storm, or even that it had been driven ashore
at a perfectly safe place.

People constantly came and went in the waiting-room, which was sometimes
quite full, and again empty of all but themselves. In the course of
their observations they formed many cordial friendships and bitter
enmities upon the ground of personal appearance, or particulars of
dress, with people whom they saw for half a minute upon an average; and
they took such a keen interest in every one, that it would be hard to
say whether they were more concerned in an old gentleman with vigorously
upright iron-gray hair, who sat fronting them, and reading all the
evening papers, or a young man who hurled himself through the door,
bought a ticket with terrific precipitation, burst out again, an