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98 “Come out of the trance.”

She went through the entire performance before the mirror, in putting on her hat.

“Shall I bring you anything, dearie?” she asked him, as she completed her toilette.

“I’m going, too,” he said. “I’ll be back.”

He plunged down the stairs. When he reached the street he thought of Bambi’s face when he returned with the announcement of his futile morning. He went into a shop, telephoned the club that he had been detained and would not be back to lunch. Then he foraged for food and went back to his sitting on the top floor of the Belasco.

“Well, little stranger,” said the cheerful one, on her return.

His interest in the afternoon callers waned. At five o’clock he gave it up. He arranged with his new friend to call her up in the morning to see if she had any news from the front. Then he slowly turned his footsteps toward the club. He was irritated at the long delay, and for the first time aware that there might be more difficulty in seeing managers than he had anticipated. He had thought the condescension all on his part, but eight hours of airing his heels in the outer purlieus had altered his viewpoint a trifle.