"I saw you had forgotten it," said he lightly.
"Did you know the real author?"
"Yes. I saw this article alluded to humorously long ago in Thurber's textbook and I looked it up. The old magazine is on file here."
"It is commonly known, then?"
"Yes, I should say so, as a sort of absurdity. You see, of course, that it is an absurdity."
To this Stephen made no answer. He would have proved himself a fool, then, as well as a knave!
"Do you think many persons beside yourself would have recognized it?"
"I think it likely, and of course one would have been enough. It was all right for you to send it in, though; it has roused a great deal of interest; it shows we have a sense of humor. I was very sorry to hear that you lost your father, Lanfair."
Stephen would have liked to lay his head on Levis's shoulder; instead he laid it on Levis's desk.