“I mean that Peter Stirling won’t give a raparee for all the society you can give him.”
“You don’t know what you are talking about.”
But Lispenard was right. Peter had enjoyed the dinner at Miss De Voe’s and the evening at Mr. Le Grand’s. Yet each night on reaching his rooms, he had sat long hours in his straight office chair, in the dark. He was thinking of what Miss Leroy had told him of—of—He was not thinking of “Society.”
CHAPTER XXVIII.
COMMISSIONS.
Peter made his dinner call at Miss De Voe’s, but did not find her at home. He received a very pleasant letter expressing her regret at missing him, and a request to lunch with her two days later, and to go with some friends to an afternoon piano recital, “if you care for music. If not, merely lunch with us.” Peter replied that he was very sorry, but business called him to Albany on that day.
“I really regret it,” said Miss De Voe to Dorothy. “It is getting so late in the season, that unless he makes his call quickly, I shall hardly be able to give him more than one other chance.”
Peter’s business in Albany had been sprung on him suddenly. It was neither more nor less than a request sent verbally through Costell from Governor Catlin, to come up and see him.
“It’s about the food and tenement commission bills,” Costell told him. “They’ll be passed by the Senate to-day or to-morrow, and be in Catlin’s hands.”
“I hope he’ll make good appointments,” said Peter, anxiously.