Henry James

The Reverberator Henry James

Book Excerpt: ...newspaper, would have served all his, or at least all your, purpose, and you would have vaguely supposed the number high--somewhere up in the millions. As every copy of the newspaper answers to its name, Miss Dosson's visitor would have been quite adequately marked as "young commercial American." Let me add that among the accidents of his appearance was that of its sometimes striking other young commercial Americans as fine. He was twenty-seven years old and had a small square head, a light grey overcoat and in his right forefinger a curious natural crook which might have availed, under pressure, to identify him. But for the convenience of society he ought always to have worn something conspicuous--a green hat or a yellow necktie. His undertaking was to obtain material in Europe for an American "society-paper."If it be objected to all this that when Francie Dosson at last came in she addressed him as if she easily placed him, the answer is that she had been notified by her father--and more punctually...