"If you weren't so haughty, Pat, and would just
own up that you're sick of your bargain--"
"Dolly!" Miss Patty got red and then white.
"Oh, all right," Mrs. Dicky said, and shrugged her shoulders. "Only, I
hate to see you make an idiot of yourself, when I'm so happy."
Mr. Dick made a move at that to go across the fireplace to her, but Mr.
Sam pushed him back where he was.
"You stay right there," he said. "Here's Pierce now."
He came in smiling, and as he stood inside the door, brushing the snow
off, it was queer to see how his eyes went around the circle until he'd
found Miss Patty and stopped at her.
Nobody answered his smile, and he came over to the fire beside Miss
Patty.
"Great night!" he said, looking down at her. "There's something
invigorating in just breathing that wind."
"Do you think so?" Mrs. Sam said disagreeably. "Of course, we haven't
all got your shoulders."
"That's so," he answered, turning to her. "I said you women should not
come so far. We could have met in my sitting-room."
"You forget one thing," Mr. Dick put in disagreeably, "and that is
that this meeting concerns me, and I can not very well go to YOUR
sitting-room."
"Fact," said Mr. Pierce, "I'd forgotten about you for the moment."
"You generally do," Mr. Dick retorted. "If you want the truth, Pierce,
I'm about tired of your high-handed methods."
Mr. Pierce set his jaw and looked down at him.
"Why? I've saved the place, haven't I? Why, look here," he said, and
pulled out a couple of letters, "these are the first fruits of those
that weep--in other words, per aspera ad astra! Two new guests coming
the last of the week--want to be put in training!"
Well, that was an argument nobody could find fault with, but their
grievance was about themselves and they couldn't forgive him.
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