“It’ll be a massive structure” he said, “and when it’s finished no one will have to ask what it is.  It’ll speak for itself.  Mr. Cass is a solid business man, and we know what we’ll get.  The other plan is what I call dandified.”

It was evident to the committee that the stove dealer’s final criticism comprehended the architect as well as his design.  Several competitors—­Littleton among them—­had come in person to explain the merits of their respective drawings, and by the side of solid, red-bearded, undecorative Mr. Cass, Littleton may well have seemed a dandy.  He was a slim young man with a delicate, sensitive face and intelligent brown eyes.  He looked eager and interesting.  In his case the almost gaunt American physiognomy was softened by a suggestion of poetic impulses.  Yet the heritage of nervous energy was apparent.  His appearance conveyed the impression of quiet trigness and gentility.  His figure lent itself to his clothes, which were utterly inconspicuous, judged by metropolitan standards, but flawless in the face of hard-headed theories of life, and aroused suspicion.  He spoke in a gentle but earnest manner, pointing out clearly, yet modestly, the merits of his composition.

Selma had never seen a man just like him before, and she noticed that from the outset his eyes seemed to be fastened on her as though his words were intended for her special benefit.  She had never read the lines—­indeed they had not been written—­

“I think I could be happy with a gentleman like you.”

Nor did the precise sentiment contained in them shape itself in her thought.  Yet she was suddenly conscious that she had been starving for lack of intellectual companionship, and that he was the sort of man she had hoped to meet—­the sort of man who could appreciate her and whom she could appreciate.

It did not become necessary for Selma to act as Mr. Littleton’s champion, for the stove dealer’s criticism found only one supporter.  The New Yorker’s design for the church was so obviously pretty and suitable that a majority of the Committee promptly declared in its favor.  The successful competitor, who had remained a day to learn the result, was solemnly informed of the decision, and then elaborately introduced to the members.  In shaking hands with him, Selma experienced a shade of embarrassment.  It was plain that his words to her, spoken with a low bow—­“I am very much gratified that my work pleases you” conveyed a more spiritual significance than was contained in his thanks to the others.  Still he seemed more at his ease with Mrs. Taylor, who promptly broke the ice of the situation by fixing him as a close relative of friends in Baltimore.  Straightway he became sprightly and voluble, speaking of things and people beyond Selma’s experience.  This social jargon irritated Selma.  It seemed to her a profanation of a noble character, yet she was annoyed because she could not understand.