The Celebrity, Complete

ed his head against a stone doorway and died because he did not stoop low enough. And to descend from history down to my own poor chronicle, Mr. Coo

e remunerative practice, but also, I believe, to the positi

as the architect who had nominal charge of the building. He had regularly submitted some dozen plans for Mr. Cooke's approval, which were as regularly rejected. My client believed, in common with a great many other people, that architects should be driven and not followed, and was pl

squith Inn. It was Farrar's custom to go to Asquith in the summer, being near the forest properties in his charge; and since Asquith was but five miles from the county-seat it was convenient for me, and gave me the advantages of the lake breezes and a comparative rest, which I should not have had in town. At that time Asquith was a small community of summer residents from Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and other western cities, most of whom owned cottages and the gro

e disposition. In the dining-room we sat together at the end of a large table set aside for bachelors and small families of two or three, and it seemed as though we had all the humorists and story-tellers in that place. And Farrar as a source of amusement proved equal to the best of them. He would wait until a story was well under way, and then annihilate the point of it with a cutting cynicism and set the table in a roar of laughter. Among others who were seated here was a Mr. Trevor, of Cin

d have given his oath they were sworn enemies. At least I, in the innocence of my heart, thought so until I was forcibly enlightened. I had taken rather a prejudice to Miss Trevor. I could find no better reason than her antagonism to Farrar. I was revolving this very thing in my mind one day as I was paddling back to the inn after a look at my cli

nch, of course," I answ

e, I towed it in and hitched it to the wharf, when, to my great astonishment, there disembarked not Farrar, but Miss Trevor. She leaped lightly as

rity was about to sail for Europe in search of "color" for his next novel; this was already contracted for at a large price, and was to be of a more serious nature than any of his former work. An interview was published in whi

however, I did not think it worth while to mention) and I did not feel justified in criticising him in public. Besides, what I knew of him was excellent, and entirely apart from the literary merit or demerit of his work. The others, however, were within their right when they censured or praised him, and they did b

nd feet on the rail. A gleam of a cigar lighted up the face, and I saw that it was Farrar. I sat down beside him, and we talked commonplaces for a while, Farrar's being almost monosyllabic, while now and again feminine voices and feminine laug

from Boston, Charles Wrexell Allen; came this mor

d, reflecting; "no

, as though the matter were trivial. "However

I asked, not feeli

Cele

can hear him down there now," he added, tossing his head tow

ng the lighter tones, and the voice had a ring to it which

Farrar

e friends ea

ed, so scathingly that I was fo

e register," I suggested. "Y

written out in full. That handwriting was one in a thousand. I made sure I had seen it before, and

me for a while. That is precisely the case here. I t

arrar, "here's

man. Farrar and I had walked to the door while the women turned into the drawing-room, so that we were brought face to face with him, suddenly. At sight of me he halt

the Cel

ste; and the whole farce, as it flashed through my mind,-his advertised trip, his turning up here under

, dropping for once his indifferen

vad

ss I could muster. "I have never met any one of his name. His voice and

ent to my rooms and had taken down a volume of Carlyle, who can g

, with an instinctiv

es upon me vividly-in a rough-spun suit of knickerbockers, a colored-shirt having a large and prominent gold stud, red and

ed, "you have no idea how del

in Carlyle, and assured him that

om being damped by my manner. "In fact, I

dow-seat and clasped hi

k you for respecting m

, marvelling at the ready way

o know why I came out here." He easily supplie

ld like to k

se, offered me a cigarette, which I refused, took one himself and blew the smoke in rings toward the ceiling. Then, raising himself

it's the very deuce t

rtly, wondering what he was dri

position is obliged to go through the year round, but especially in the su

I answered, in a vain en

go I am hounded to death by the people who have read my books, and they want to dine and wine me for the sake of showing me off at their houses. I am heartily sick and tired of it all; you would be if you had to go thr

o with your coming here?" I

te angle with his face, and looked

n-nothing but attention the whole time. I can't go on the street but what I'm stared at and pointed out, so I thought of a scheme to relieve it for a time. It was becoming unbea

ut I offered

es. 'Have you heard of Asquith?' says he. 'No,' said I; 'describe it.' He did, and it was just the place; quaint, restful, and retired. Of

as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrou

e who I am, will you?

interpreted

ine. You might come here as Emil Zola or Ralph Wal

dubiously, eve

, and was gone, leaving me to

ore potent reason for the Celebrity's disguise than ennui. As actions speak l