ew he was not satisfied. I could see that
he missed his 'people,' by whom he was accustomed to be surrounded and
served; and I soon found out that his meals did not suit him. Anita
visited the kitchen much more frequently than she had done just before
Rounders arrived, and she talked a great deal about the dishes which
were served to us; but, so far as I could judge, she had no more to do
with their preparation than she had previously had. I was thoroughly
well satisfied with everything; and, although Rounders was not, it was
impossible for him to say so when he sat opposite the lady who told him
two or three times at every meal that she presided in the kitchen. Of
course I would have done everything in my power to give Rounders things
to eat that he liked, but I did not know what to do. Our table was just
as good, though not as varied, as it was when we were in town; and that
Rounders was accustomed to living better than we did I could not for one
moment believe. I came to the conclusion that, in spite of his efforts
to subdue his dominating habit, he could not resist the temptation to
let us know that he was not used to humble life, or even the appearance
of it.

"So I enjoyed our three good meals a day,--Anita would not allow us any
more,--which were prepared by one of the best cooks on the continent
from the choicest materials furnished regularly under Baxter's orders;
and if Rounders chose to think that what was good enough for me was not
good enough for him, he must go his own way and suffer accordingly. In
fortune and in station I was so immeasurably superior to him that it
nettled me a little to see him put on airs at the table to which I had
invited him. But Rounders was Rounders, and I did not allow my
irritation to continue.

"In two or three days our visitor's overwork began to show on him: his
naturally plump cheeks hung down, his eyes drooped, and, although he
drank a great deal of wine, he was seldom in good spirits. On the fourth
day of his visit, after the morning mail had been brought to us by
Isaac, Rounders came to me and told me he had just received a letter
which would make it necessary for him to go home that afternoon. I
expressed my regret, but did not urge him to stay, for it was obvious
that he wanted to go. 'I have had a most delightful time,' he said, as
he took leave of Anita; 'but business is business, and I cannot put it
aside.'

"I believed both these statements to be incorrect: I kne