Of course this was hardly the place to talk business, she said,
but I had her card and knew where to find her. Every one should have the
work. All the best people in New York, Philadelphia, Sioux City, and
other places were putting it into their libraries, and so on, and so on.
"This flotsam and jetsam of her talk came to me from time to time as
confidential asides from the main flow of palaver which rolled along
steadily toward the Judge. The Judge, poor fellow, showed plainly the
effects of the struggle; so much so, that I suggested a stroll up the
Boardwalk.
"We arose with an effort, and went out to meet the bracing air.
"'Ah, the thea, the thea; the dear, dear thea! Always tho--er--wet and
rethleth. I inherit a love for the water from my father's great uncle
who was an Admiral in the British Navy.' As this was the first
intimation Miss de Dear had given as to a fondness for water, except on
the side, I felt that living and learning were synonymous terms. So,
perhaps, did the Judge, who said, apropos of nothing in particular,
'When I was in California in fifty-nine, I saw a snake over forty-seven
feet long. The onery rascal wouldn't coil up, and they had to carry him
from place to place on flat cars. Now what do you think of _that_?' Miss
de Dear gazed dreamily out at the tossing waves, and said nothing, while
I caught hold of the Judge's elbow to steady him.
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