. Ardessa was at
his elbow. She had long been steeped in literary distinctions and in
the social distinctions which used to count for much more than they
do now. She knew all the great men, all the nephews and clients of
great men. She knew which must be seen, which must be made welcome,
and which could safely be sent away. She could give O'Mally on the
instant the former rating in magazine offices of nearly every name
that was brought in to him. She could give him an idea of the man's
connections, of the price his work commanded, and insinuate whether
he ought to be met with the old punctiliousness or with the new
joviality. She was useful in explaining to her employer the
significance of various invitations, and the standing of clubs and
associations. At first she was virtually the social mentor of the
bullet-headed young Westerner who wanted to break into everything,
the solitary person about the office of the humming new magazine who
knew anything about the editorial traditions of the eighties and
nineties which, antiquated as they now were, gave an editor, as
O'Mally said, a background.

Despite her indolence, Ardessa was useful to O'Mally as a social
reminder. She was the card catalogue of his ever-changing personal
relations. O'Mally went in for everything and got tired of
everything; that was why he made a good editor. After he was through
with people, Ardessa was very skilful in covering his retreat. She
read and answered the letters of admirers who had begun to bore him.
When great authors, who had been dined and feted the month before,
were suddenly left to cool their heels in the reception-room, thrown
upon the suave hospitality of the grand old man at the desk, it was
Ardessa who went out and made soothing and plausible explanations as
to why the editor could not see them. She was the brake that checked
the too-eager neophyte, the emollient that eased the severing of
relationships, the gentle extinguisher of the lights that failed.
When there were no longer messages of hope and cheer to be sent to
ardent young writers and reformers, Ardessa delivered, as sweetly as
possible, whatever messages were left.

In handling these people with whom O'Mally was quite through,
Ardessa had gradually developed an industry which was immensely
gratifying to her own vanity. Not only did she not crush them; she
even fostered them a little. She continued to advise them in the
reception-room and "personally" received their