“Coincidences are always interesting,” said Algernon. “And I think a great many things that go by the name of telepathy are nothing more. I’m keeping a record of peculiar coincidences that come under my notice. I’ll put these down, about the two happening to go to the same college, and about the German and American girls finding their mothers were acquainted.” He produced a note-book to make an entry.
“You can’t include the last one,” Catherine protested. “It was because Mrs. Lange recognized Hannah from the letter that Frieda wrote. But the meeting between Alice and Hannah was mere chance.”
Algernon closed his note-book and went placidly on as if Catherine’s story had not interrupted him:
“As I was saying, those men in Pittsburg–”
The telephone bell rang and Catherine went into the house to answer it.
10“I’ll have to be excused, Algernon,” she said, coming back a minute later. “Father wants something of me. You can tell me the rest another time.”
Then, as Algernon slowly got off the porch, she added impulsively:
“I marvel just to see you walk, Algernon. You know so very much! You seem to me to be a veritable walking library.”
Algernon twisted his body uncomfortably and flushed.
“I’d be more use to Winsted if I were a real one,” he said, with a wistful sound in his voice that made Catherine look at him sharply. She waved him a smiling good-by as he went down the walk, and then turned to her father’s desk to look up some papers he wanted. Her mind, however, still dwelt on that unexpected shade in Algernon’s tone.