Poor Mrs. Courtney!
She addressed me as "Mr. Campbell," and I dare say she was right. Women
best know how to meet these situations. To have called me "Claude"
would have placed us in a false position, by ignoring the changes that
have taken place. It is wise to respect these barriers; they are
conventional, but, rightly considered, they are more of an assistance
than of an obstacle to freedom of intercourse. I asked her how she
liked England. She smiled and said, "It was my business to like
England; still, I am glad to see America once more."
"You will entertain a great deal, I presume--that sort of thing?"
"We shall hope to make friends with people--and to meet old friends.
It is such a pleasant surprise to find you here. I heard you were
settled in Paris."
"So I was, for several years; the Parisians said nice things about my
pictures. But one may weary even of Paris. I returned here two years
ago, and am now as much of a fixture in New York as if I'd never left
it."
"But not a permanent fixture. Shall we never see you in London?"
"My present probabilities lie rather in the direction of California.
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