“What do you think of him?” said his friend without heed of this question.

“Well, he’s an awful old screw. I wonder he can carry you.”

“Where did you get your hat?” Jackson asked both as a retort and as a relevant criticism.

“I got it in New York. What’s the matter with it?”

“It’s very beautiful. I wish I had brought over one like it.”

“The head’s the thing—not the hat. I don’t mean yours—I mean mine,” Sidney Feeder laughed. “There’s something very deep in your question. I must think it over.”

“Don’t—don’t,” said Jackson Lemon; “you’ll never get to the bottom of it. Are you having a good time?”

“A glorious time. Have you been up to-day?”

“Up among the doctors? No—I’ve had a lot of things to do,” Jackson was obliged to plead.

“Well”—and his friend richly recovered it—“we had a very interesting discussion. I made a few remarks.”