Coming back to New York, he plunged into a mass of accumulated duties; it was a week before he found time to see anything of John; and two weeks before he called on Miss Thomas. He found her in a rather different mood than usual; a little sadder, a shade more self-conscious. "It is two weeks before you come to see me, and you did not answer my letter," she said. Vane could only bow. "If I had only known you wished me to," he said. "Ah, well! And what have you seen abroad?" "Nothing of interest to me now." "And what are you going to do this winter?" "I do not know. Stick to my trade," Vane added laughingly. "And shall we not go on with our reading?" "I should be only too happy." "What a conventional expression of willingness--what an enthusiastic acceptance!" "Conventions are the safest expressions of the truth." "What do you mean by 'safest'?" "The safest to me." She gave a little laugh, in which Vane joined. "I do not understand you." "You mean you are too skilful a fencer to admit it." "What do you mean by 'fencing'?" "The manner of our conversations." "You mean that it is not sincere--that it is badinage? Why do you do it, then?" "I am only too ready to change our ground." "I do not know what you mean." Vane bowed his disbelief in this remark and rose to go. "Ah! do not go yet. I am so lonely to-day, and it is just the hour of the day when there is nothing to do. I have no work and my poor eyes are too weak to read. They are not even useful!" "Why do you imply they are not ornamental? Why do you say what you do not mean?" "But I do mean it." "You know you have lovely eyes." "I thought you never made compliments," she said with a little pleased laugh. "You see your weak eyes are strong enough to keep me here." And rising to go, he extended his hand. "Ah! do not go yet." And taking his hand, she almost detained it gently. "I am so glad to see you once more." Vane laughed again. "Have you read De Musset's '_Il faut qu'une porte soit ouverte ou fermée_'?" "No; but I will read it. Why?" "Because my calls resemble that one. I am continually opening the door to go. Now if my call could have the same ending!" he added gallantly. She colored. "She has read it," thought Vane. "_Halte-là!_" And this time, perhaps rather precipitately, he took his leave for good. Miss Thomas gave another of her little pleased laughs, after he had closed the door. Vane had been thoroughly amused, and walked in a very contented frame of mind to John's. Coming into his smoking-room, he took a cigar and threw himself at full length upon the lounge. He could afford occasionally to smoke and take life easily now; it was different with him from the times, three years back, when he used to get his own breakfast in the little rooms on Washington Place. "Well, old man, how goes it?" said John, looking up with a light of friendship in his gray eyes which Vane's coming always brought to them.