24 BRUNO 



When Julius came home at noon, we sat at 

 the table listless and dejected, now and then 

 making fitful attempts to converse. The dainty 

 noon meal had suddenly lost flavor after we 

 had exchanged a few sentences about " Poor, 

 hungry Bruno ! ' 



Were we to eat, drink, and be merry, while 

 our faithful friend starved for love of us ! 



After Julius had returned to the office, there 

 was such a tugging at my heart-strings that I 

 well, yes, I did, I cried ! How I regretted that 

 I had never cultivated an intimacy with Mrs. 

 Nimrod, so that I might have "run in" to call, 

 and thus have an opportunity to comfort the 

 poor homesick fellow ! 



Julius saw the tear-traces when he returned 

 towards evening, and proposed a stroll down 

 town; thinking, I suppose, that if we sat at 

 home we should be sure to talk of Bruno and 

 be melancholy. 



We walked through all the principal streets 

 of the town, meeting and greeting friends and 

 acquaintances, stopping to glance at new goods 

 in several of the shops ; bringing up at last in 

 the town's largest bookstore. 



We were just starting for home, when on the 

 sidewalk there was a sudden flurry and dash, 



