"
The iron latch rattled, the door swung fatefully back, our heads were
raised, our eyes bored her through and through.
Then swung a new world for me out of primeval chaos, and for aeons of
centuries I dizzied myself gazing upon the pyrotechnic marvel.
"_Continue, Calvin!_--if you ever expect to learn anything."
The fabric of my vision crumbled. Awake, I glared upon a page where the
words ran crazily about like a disrupted colony of ants. I stammered at
the thing, feeling my cheeks blaze, but no two words would stay still
long enough to be related. I glanced a piteous appeal to authority,
while old Leggett, still standing by, crumpled his shaven upper lip into
a professional sneer that I did not like.
"That will _do_, Calvin. Sit down! Solon Denney, you may go on."
With careless confidence, brushing the long brown lock from his fair
brow, came Solon Denney to his feet. With flawless self-possession he
read, and I, disgraced, cowering in my seat, heard words that burned
little inconsequential brands forever into my memory. Well do I recall
that the middle-aged gentleman regarded the young man with a look of
surprise, and inquired, "What security can you give me?" to which the
latter answered, "Nothing but my note.
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