Page:Elizabeth Jordan--Tales of the city room.djvu/49

 her work which found daily voice in "The Searchlight" editorial rooms. He experienced his greatest pleasure in turning his artless gaze upon her as he sat at his desk during occasional lulls in his professional duties. He read omnivorously during these restful intervals, and it was an interesting fact that the heroine was always the same—a tall and graceful young woman, in severely simple tailor-made attire, with dark brown hair and with eyes that regarded even small office-boys with kindly interest. The authors in vain obtruded their unworthier types: to Chesterfield there was but one Heroine possible in fiction.

From passive to active adoration was but a tiny step. He spent hours in writing notes to his inamorata, in which he poured out his youthful heart in misspelled words and marvellous English. He found much satisfaction in this, though he invariably destroyed the notes as soon as they were written. Then he conceived the plan of writing non-committal messages on office business, and this was happiness of a higher order. It put him and the Only One in quasi-intimate relations. Even if he said nothing but "The sitty editur