The young lady in the dining-room had a brave face, black hair, blue eyes, and in her lap a big volume.

"I've come for his autograph," she said when I had explained to her that I was under bonds to see people for him when he was occupied.

"I've been waiting half an hour, but I'm prepared to wait all day." I don't know whether it was this that told me she was American, for the propensity to wait all day is not in general characteristic of her race.

I was enlightened probably not so much by the spirit of the utterance as by some quality of its sound.

At any rate I saw she had an individual patience and a lovely frock, together with an expression that played among her pretty features like a breeze among flowers.