adaptability. Haskett had once reminded Waythorn of the piano-tuner,
and Mrs. Waythorn, after a month or two, appeared to class him with
that domestic familiar. Waythorn could not but respect the father's
tenacity. At first he had tried to cultivate the suspicion that
Haskett might be "up to" something, that he had an object in
securing a foothold in the house. But in his heart Waythorn was sure
of Haskett's single-mindedness; he even guessed in the latter a mild
contempt for such advantages as his relation with the Waythorns
might offer. Haskett's sincerity of purpose made him invulnerable,
and his successor had to accept him as a lien on the property.

Mr. Sellers was sent to Europe to recover from his gout, and
Varick's affairs hung on Waythorn's hands. The negotiations were
prolonged and complicated; they necessitated frequent conferences
between the two men, and the interests of the firm forbade
Waythorn's suggesting that his client should transfer his business
to another office.

Varick appeared well in the transaction. In moments of relaxation
his coarse streak appeared, and Waythorn dreaded his geniality; but
in the office he was concise and clear-headed, with a flattering
deference to Waythorn's judgment. Their business relations being so
affably established, it would have been absurd for the two men to
ignore each other in society. The first time they met in a
drawing-room, Varick took up their intercourse in the same easy key,
and his hostess's grateful glance obliged Waythorn to respond to it.
After that they ran across each other frequently, and one evening at
a ball Waythorn, wandering through the remoter rooms, came upon
Varick seated beside his wife. She colored a little, and faltered in
what she was saying; but Varick nodded to Waythorn without rising,