Across the table was felt the presence of James T. Duncan, who looked like a dignified red-mustached Sunday-school superintendent, but who traveled for a cloak and suit house, gambled heavily on poker and auction pinochle, and was esteemed for his straight back and knowledge of trains.

Which is all of them.

As soon as Mrs. Arty had guided Annie, the bashful maid, in serving the vegetable soup, and had coaxed her into bringing Mr. Wrenn a napkin, she took charge of the conversation, a luxury which she would never have intrusted to her flock’s amateurish efforts.  Mr. Poppins, said she, had spoken of meeting a friend of Mr. Wrenn’s; Mr. Morton, was it not?  A very nice man, she understood.  Was it true that Mr. Wrenn and Mr. Morton had gone clear across the Atlantic on a cattle-boat?  It really was?

“Oh, how interesting!” contributed pretty Nelly Croubel, beside Mr. Wrenn, her young eyes filled with an admiration which caused him palpitation and difficulty in swallowing his soup.  He was confused by hearing old Samuel Ebbitt state: 

“Uh-h-h-h—­back in 18—­uh—­1872 the vessel Prissie—­no, it was 1873; no, it must have been ’72—­”

“It was 1872, father,” said Mrs. Ebbitt.

“1873.  I was on a coasting-vessel, young man.  But we didn’t carry cattle.”  Mr. Ebbitt inspected Horatio Hood Teddem darkly, clicked his spectacle case sharply shut, and fell to eating, as though he had settled all this nonsense.

With occasional witty interruptions from the actor, Mr. Wrenn told of pitching hay, of the wit of Morton, and the wickedness of Satan, the boss.

“But you haven’t told us about the brave things you did,” cooed Mrs. Arty.  She appealed to Nelly Croubel:  “I’ll bet he was a cool one.  Don’t you think he was, Nelly?”

“I’m sure he was.”  Nelly’s voice was like a flute.

Mr. Wrenn knew that there was just one thing in the world that he wanted to do; to persuade Miss Nelly Croubel that (though he was a solid business man, indeed yes, and honorable) he was a cool one, who had chosen, in wandering o’er this world so wide, the most perilous and cattle-boaty places.  He tried to think of something modest yet striking to say, while Tom was arguing with Miss Mary Proudfoot, the respectable spinster, about the ethics of giving away street-car transfers.

As they finished their floating custard Mr. Wrenn achieved, “Do you come from New York, Miss Croubel?” and listened to the tale of sleighing-parties in Upton’s Grove, Pennsylvania.  He was absolutely happy.

“This is like getting home,” he thought.  “And they’re classy folks to get home to—­now that I can tell ’em apart.  Gee!  Miss Croubel is a peach.  And brains—­golly!”

He had a frightened hope that after dinner he would be able to get into a corner and talk with Nelly, but Tom Poppins conferred with Horatio Hood Teddenm and called Mr. Wrenn aside.  Teddem had been acting with a moving-picture company for a week, and had three passes to the celebrated Waldorf Photoplay Theater.