In the stage the day he started for Philadelphia, William King read
over his Martha's memorandum with the bewildered carefulness peculiar
to good husbands: ten yards of crash; a pitcher for sorghum; samples
of yarn; an ounce of sachet-powder, and so forth.

"Now, what on earth does she want sachet-powder for?" he reflected.
But he did not reflect long; it suddenly came into his mind that
though Mrs. Richie had not given him any commission, he could
nevertheless do something for her. He could go, when he was in
Philadelphia, and call on her brother. "How pleased she'll be!" he
said to himself. Naturally, with this project in mind, he gave no more
thought to sachet-powders. He decided that he would turn up at Mr.
Pryor's house at six o'clock, and Pryor would ask him to supper. It
would save time to do that, and he needed to save time, for this one
day in Philadelphia was to be very busy. He had those errands for
Martha, and two medical appointments, and a visit to the tailor,--for
of late William thought a good deal about his clothes and discovered
that he was very shabby. He wished he had asked Mrs. Richie for her
brother's address; it took so long to look it up in the Directory.
Happily, the first name was unusual; there was only one Lloyd, or he
would have given up the search. He could not have called on all the
Johns or Thomases!