The pen stopped. He could have sworn that someone passed him, so close that he felt the wind from floating garments, and that there was the odor of _Bon Silène_ roses in the air. It was strangely still overhead. Cold sweat broke out all over him; when he strove to resume his writing, his fingers were nerveless. Slow, heavy feet came down the stairs and to the library door. It was opened without the ceremony of knocking, and the physician appeared. A withering glance took in the details of the quiet figure at the table, the paper, and the pen arrested in the hand. He went through no form of merciful preparation. “Mr. Ashe! your wife is dead! A severe shock of some kind—the nurse thinks you can explain it—brought on convulsions and suffusion of the brain.” * * * * * Baby Nest survived her mother but a week. Her father married again, eighteen months afterward, a beautiful society girl with a tolerable fortune. She said a good thing in my hearing the other night, which I offer here in the place of the conventional moral, my story having none. “What have you been doing with yourself all the winter?” she asked of a fine-featured, dainty little old lady, whose blue blood adds nameless finish to the fair product of brains and breeding. “I have not seen you for an age.” “I have gone out to few large assemblies this season,” said Queen Mab. “But I have greatly enjoyed certain conclaves of choice spirits, to which I have been admitted. Evenings with the Laurence Huttons, the Edmund Clarence Stedmans, the Brander Matthewses, and Mr. and Mrs. William Dean Howells are something to be remembered forever with pride and delight.” “Ye-es?” the priceless lace on bust and sleeves swaying in the languid breeze of her fan. “I have heard others say that _some of these Bohemians_ are really very, very nice—don’t you know?”[B] THE END. * * * * * FOOTNOTES: [A] Literal report. [B] A verbatim report. * * * * * Transcriber’s Notes: Obvious punctution errors repaired. Page 6, “knickerbcokers” changed to “knickerbockers” (jackets and knickerbockers) Page 9, “seeming” changed to “seaming” (out the seaming gallantly) Page 15, “nectkies” changed to “neckties” (white neckties upon weekdays) Page 49, “croning” changed to “crooning” (hear Tony crooning) Page 62, “prceious” changed to “precious” (My precious one!) Page 74, “to-morow” changed to “to-morrow” (minds that to-morrow we) Page 109, “atmosphrere” changed to “atmosphere” (long in the atmosphere) Page 129, “presumptous” changed to “presumptuous” (star-gazing and presumptuous) Page 133, “Adironacks” changed to “Adirondacks” (week for the Adirondacks) Page 170, “theatened” changed to “threatened” (laughter threatened dissolution) Page 185, “Christain” changed to “Christian” (a thing as Christian) Page 245, “apeing” changed to “aping” (her aping is more)