Outside of the gates of the Snow place Albert was making many acquaintances and a few friends. After church on Sundays his grandmother had a distressful habit of suddenly seizing his arm or his coat-tail as he was hurrying toward the vestibule and the sunshine of outdoors, and saying: “Oh, Albert, just a minute! Here's somebody you haven't met yet, I guess. Elsie”--or Nellie or Mabel or Henry or Charlie or George, whichever it happened to be--“this is my grandson, Albert Speranza.” And the young person to whom he was thus introduced would, if a male, extend a hesitating hand, give his own an embarrassed shake, smile uncertainly and say, “Yes--er--yes. Pleased to meet you.” Or, if of the other sex, would blush a little and venture the observation that it was a lovely morning, and wasn't the sermon splendid. These Sabbath introductions led to week-day, or rather week-evening, meetings. The principal excitement in South Harniss was “going for the mail.” At noon and after supper fully one-half of the village population journeyed to the post office. Albert's labors for Z. Snow and Co. prevented his attending the noon gatherings--his grandfather usually got the morning mail--but he early formed the habit of sauntering “down street” in the evening if the weather was not too cold or disagreeable. There he was certain to find groups of South Harniss youth of both sexes, talking, giggling, skylarking and flirting. Sometimes he joined one or the other of these groups; quite as often he did not, but kept aloof and by himself, for it may as well be acknowledged now, if it is not already plain, that the son of Miguel Carlos Speranza had inherited a share of his father's temperament and self-esteem. The whim of the moment might lead him to favor these young people with his society, but he was far from considering himself under obligation to do so. He had not the least idea that he was in any way a snob, he would have hotly resented being called one, but he accepted his estimate of his own worth as something absolute and certain, to be taken for granted.