The other men of his "set" were no less thoughtful, and, though they rallied him a little at first upon his defection, soon let the matter drop.

Condy told himself that there were plenty of good people in the world, after all.

Every one seemed conspiring to make it easy for him, and he swore at himself for a weak-kneed cad.
On a certain Tuesday, about a week after the fishing excursion and the affair of the "Matrimonial Objects," toward half-past six in the evening, Condy was in his room, dressing for a dinner engagement.
Young Sargeant's sister had invited him to be one of a party who were to dine at the University Club, and later on fill a box at a charity play, given by amateurs at one of the downtown theatres.

But as he was washing his linen shirt-studs with his tooth-brush his eye fell upon a note, in Laurie Flagg's handwriting, that lay on his writing-desk, and that he had received some ten days previous.

Condy turned cold upon the instant, hurled the tooth-brush across the room, and dropped into a chair with a groan of despair.