But though I looked for him on each succeeding day he was nowhere to be seen at the usual times.

The companions of my idle hours (and all my hours were idle just then) noticed my preoccupation and chaffed me about it in a rather obvious way.

They wanted to know whether she, whom I expected to see, was dark or fair; whether that fascination which kept me on tenterhooks of expectation was one of my aristocrats or one of my marine beauties: for they knew I had a footing in both these--shall we say circles?
As to themselves they were the bohemian circle, not very wide--half a dozen of us led by a sculptor whom we called Prax for short.

My own nick-name was "Young Ulysses." I liked it.
But chaff or no chaff they would have been surprised to see me leave them for the burly and sympathetic Mills.

I was ready to drop any easy company of equals to approach that interesting man with every mental deference.