"No, I've been mooning about here."
Hilda laughed gayly. "Mooning! I see you mooning! You must be the
busiest man in the world. Time and success have done well by you, you
know. You're handsomer than ever and you've gained a grand manner."
Alexander blushed and bowed. "Time and success have been good friends to
both of us. Aren't you tremendously pleased with yourself?"
She laughed again and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, so-so. But I want to
hear about you. Several years ago I read such a lot in the papers about
the wonderful things you did in Japan, and how the Emperor decorated
you. What was it, Commander of the Order of the Rising Sun? That sounds
like `The Mikado.' And what about your new bridge--in Canada, isn't it,
and it's to be the longest one in the world and has some queer name I
can't remember."
Bartley shook his head and smiled drolly. "Since when have you
been interested in bridges? Or have you learned to be interested in
everything? And is that a part of success?"
"Why, how absurd! As if I were not always interested!" Hilda exclaimed.
"Well, I think we won't talk about bridges here, at any rate." Bartley
looked down at the toe of her yellow slipper which was tapping the rug
impatiently under the hem of her gown. "But I wonder whether you'd think
me impertinent if I asked you to let me come to see you sometime and
tell you about them?"
"Why should I? Ever so many people come on Sunday afternoons."
"I know. Mainhall offered to take me.
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