Wouldn't you like to go to my meeting ?" "I should perfectly hate to," he answered, and went off crossly, to dine at his college's local club.

Here he found an old friend, who most fortunately said something derogatory of the firm of Benson & Honaton.
The opinion coincided with certain phases of Wayne's own views, but he contradicted it, held it up to ridicule, and ended by quoting incidents in the history of his friend's own firm which, as he said, were probably among the crookedest things that had ever been put over in Wall Street.

Lily would not have distracted his mind more completely.
He felt almost cheerful when he went home about ten o'clock.

His mother was still out, and there was no letter from Mathilde.

He had been counting on finding one.
Before long his mother came in.