And, oddly enough, this recognition carried with it in general no
ability to remember--that is to recall--him: you couldn't conveniently
have prefigured him, and it was only when you were conscious of him that
you knew you had already somehow paid for it. To carry him in your mind
you must have liked him very much, for no other sentiment, not even
aversion, would have taught you what distinguished him in his group:
aversion in especial would have made you aware only of what confounded
him. He was not a specific person, but had beyond even Delia Dosson, in
whom we have facially noted it, the quality of the sample or
advertisement, the air of representing a "line of goods" for which there
is a steady popular demand. You would scarce have expected him to be
individually designated: a number, like that of the day's newspaper,
would have served all his, or at least all your, purpose, and you would
have vaguely supposed the number high--somewhere up in the millions. As
every copy of the newspaper answers to its name, Miss Dosson's visitor
would have been quite adequately marked as "young commercial American."
Let me add that among the accidents of his appearance was that of its
sometimes striking other young commercial Americans as fine. He was
twenty-seven years old and had a small square head, a light grey
overcoat and in his right forefinger a curious natural crook which might
have availed, under pressure, to identify him. But for the convenience
of society he ought always to have worn something conspicuous--a green
hat or a yellow necktie. His undertaking was to obtain material in
Europe for an American "society-paper."

If it be objected to all this that when Francie Dosson at last came in
she addressed him as if she easily placed him, the answer is that she
had been notified by her father--and more punctually than was indicated
by the manner of her response. "Well, the way you DO turn up," she said,
smiling and holding out her left hand to him: in the other hand, or the