Studiously the Senator has hidden himself in his task and avoided in every possible way attracting attention from his purposes to his personality.
"Invitations to accept public dinners as a compliment to himself have received from him this kind of reply: "'A proper attention to the duties, on the discharge of which you so kindly desire to compliment me requires that I should decline your invitation.'" All this was new to me, although much more was said touching his love for simple folk regarding which I needed no instruction.

Altogether, it helped me to feel the deep foundations on which my friend, the Senator, had been building in his public life.
Going out with the crowd that evening, I met Sally and Mr.and Mrs.
Dunkelberg.

The latter did not speak to me and when I asked Sally if I could walk home with her she answered curtly, "No, thank you." In following the schoolmaster I have got a bit ahead of my history.

Soon after the opening of the new year--ten days or so later it may have been--I had begun to feel myself encompassed by a new and subtle force.
It was a thing as intangible as heat but as real as fire and more terrible, it seemed to me.

I felt it first in the attitude of my play fellows.