"I can't do that, sir."
"Come wiz me to Mr. Haye to-night!"
"No sir, thank you."
"What for do you say that?"
"Because it is kind in you to ask me," said Winthrop smiling.
"You will not let nobody be of no use to you," said the naturalist.
Winthrop replied by a question about a new specimen; and the whole world of animate nature was presently buried in the bowels of the earth, or in the depths of philosophy, which comes to about the same thing.
But it fell out that same day that Winthrop, going into the chop-house to fit himself for hard work with a somewhat better dinner than usual, planted himself just opposite a table which five minutes after was taken by Mr. Haye. It happened then that after the usual solitary and selfish wont of such places, the meals were near over before either of the gentlemen found out he had ever seen the other. But in the course of Mr. Haye's second glass of wine, his eye took a satisfied fit of roving over the company; and presently discovered something it had seen before in the figure and face opposite to him and in the eye which was somewhat carelessly running over the columns of a newspaper. Glass in hand Mr. Haye rose, and the next instant Winthrop felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Landholm — isn't it? I thought so. Why, I've been on the
point of coming to look after you this last fortnight past,
Mr. Landholm, but business held me so tight by the button —
I'm very glad to meet you — Will you join me? —"
"Thank you, sir — I must not; for business holds me by the hand at this moment."