One of these demands was actual law work. The first real case to come to him was from the contractor who had served on the tenement-commission. He was also employed by the Health Board as special counsel in a number of prosecutions, to enforce clauses of his Food Bill. The papers said it was because of his familiarity with the subject, but Peter knew it was the influence of Green, who had become a member of that Board. Then he began to get cases from the “district,” and though there was not much money in each case, before long the number of them made a very respectable total. The growth of his practice was well proven by a suggestion from Dummer that they should join forces. “Mr. Bohlmann wants to give you some of his work, and it’s easier to go into partnership than to divide his practice.” Peter knew that Dummer had a very lucrative business of a certain kind, but he declined the offer. “I have decided never to take a case which has not right on its side.” “A lawyer is just as much bound to try a case as a physician is bound to take a patient.” “That is what lawyers say outside, but they know better.” “Well, have your scruples. We’ll make the firm cases only such as you choose. I’ll manage the others.” “I should like to,” said Peter. “I’m very grateful for the offer—but we could hardly do that successfully. If the firm was good for anything, we should be known as belonging to it, and the public could not well discriminate.” So that chance of success was passed. But every now and then Bohlmann sent him something to do, and Dummer helped him to a joint case occasionally. So, though friends grew steadily in numbers, society saw less and less of Peter. Those who cared to study his tastes came to recognize that to force formal entertaining on him was no kindness, and left it to Peter to drop in when he chose, making him welcome when he came. He was pleased to get a letter from Lispenard during the winter, from Japan. It was long, but only the first paragraph need be quoted, for the rest related merely to his travels: “The breezes of the Pacific have blown away all my bad temper,” he wrote, “and I want to say that I was wrong, and regret my original fault, as well as what it later led me into. You are quite right. We must continue friends.” Peter wrote a reply, which led to a regular correspondence. He sent Miss De Voe, also, a line of Christmas greetings, and received a long letter from her at Nice, which told him something of Watts and Helen: “She is now well again, but having been six years in Europe, she and her husband have become wedded to the life. I question if they ever return. I spoke of you, and they both inquired with great warmth about you.”