"But the devil is not pale; he is not niggardly—he is bountiful. To cope with him, Virtue must be more liberal—give more beef and better coffee."
"Good," said the minister. "I am going to preach a sermon on the Virtue of Vice."
"Red beef versus pale coffee," Howard said, as they stepped out. "And now," he added, "let us get something to eat and then go home."
"Home," repeated the preacher. "I have no home—I have lodgings.
"I know, and I mean that you must go home with me."
Bradley muttered a protest, but was delighted at the thought of seeing Agnes again so soon. He had spent the afternoon at the Judge's house, had left to unite in marriage a servant girl and a hackman, and now wanted an excuse to return, not that he needed one, for the Judge had urged upon him the freedom of the house; but timid love must show cause, or rather must apologize to appearances. And, though the cause now was not strong, yet he argued that the fact of meeting Howard would make it valid enough. He felt that his secret was not known to the Judge, as if that would have made any difference; and he was sure that the girl did not more than suspect him. He wanted her to suspect him, for there was a sweetness in it, but he wanted it to be as yet only a suspicion. He did not acknowledge that he had quite made up his mind regarding her fitness as a wife; and when a man thus reasons he is hopelessly entangled. When a man decides that a woman is not fitted to be his wife he may have arrived at reason but has stopped short of love.
They went to a place that makes a specialty of crabs and sat down in the cool breath of an electric fan. "Quite a difference in our bill of fare," said Bradley, taking up a long card framed in brass edged wood.
"And quite as much difference in our company," Howard replied.
"The old saying, Howard: 'One half the world doesn't know how the other half lives.'"
"Doesn't know how the other half dies," said Howard.