alse pretences, and told them who I
was. Each got up in turn, solemnly held out his hand, and said, 'Shake.'
Then Hofer informed me that they had all been practically certain for
some time that I was myself; being good enough to add: 'We knew there
couldn't be more than one of you; and we are also able to put two and
two together, occasionally. Before we thought of it, however, you struck
us all as being a man accustomed to homage. Later we discovered that you
were choke full of seven different kinds of ability, and it was then
that the twos began to move towards each other on the board; and we
decided that we must have you here, right here in San Francisco. What
can a man like you find in a God-forsaken place like Rosewater, anyhow?
The Eggopolis! You can't afford to hail from there; it would stick to
you for the rest of your life. And we have just got to have you. We may
have some of the ablest lawyers in the country in San Francisco, and a
few honest ones, but we can accommodate one more; and a man that will
throw over a great title and an already won name for the sake of
standing on his own legs--that's the sort of stuff the old pioneers were
made of. So, here you must come, and stand shoulder to shoulder with
us.'

"I replied that I must finish my law studies with Judge Leslie first,
and have some little practice under his direction; that I intended to go
in for politics, but that for some years all the power over men I could
acquire would be through the law--and I had remarkable chances for
contact in and about Rosewater; where, moreover, if they learned who I
was it would not matter much. It might be quite otherwise in the city.
To this they agreed: that is to say, that I should remain in Rosewater
for six months or a year longer; but they asked me to promise that if
any great emergency arose, in which they believed I could be of use, I
would come at their call. And I promised."

He rose and moved restlessly about the room. "Upon my word!" he
exclaimed; and Isabel, who had not taken her eyes off him, although he
had addressed the greater part of his talk to the fire, noted that he
was paler than usual--and that his eyes were very bright; "upon my word,
I really do feel more elated than on that night at Arcot. That small
devoted band of men!--most of them with millions they might take to the
most civilized capitals of the world and spend in splendid enjoyment--I
never have met such patriotism! It is magnificent!