but as a whole--well, my dear, I will only say that the modern standards
would have excited horror fifty years ago and--"

"Well, but according to the modern standards, do you think he is?"

"I _don't_ know. He is and he isn't. But no--no--no! He is _not_ one. No
man can be a gentleman who is utterly indifferent to the comfort and
feelings of others, do you think so?"

"Indeed, no! And is that what he is?"

"I will illustrate by an incident," said Mrs. Paynter. "As I say, this
young man spends his entire time in his room, where he is, I believe,
engaged in writing a book."

"Oh, me! Then he's penniless, depend upon it."

"Well, when we had the frost and freeze early last week, he came to me
one night and complained of the cold in his room. You know, Sharlee, I
do not rent that room as a sitting-room, nor do I expect to heat it, at
the low price, other than the heat from the halls. So I invited him to
make use of the dining-room in the evenings, which, as you know, with
the folding-doors drawn, and the yellow lamp lit, is converted to all
intents and purposes into a quiet and comfortable reading-room. Somewhat
grumblingly he went down. Fifi was there as usual, doing her algebra by
the lamp. The young man took not the smallest notice of her, and
presently when she coughed several times--the child's cold happened to
be bad that night--he looked up sharply and asked her please to stop.
Fifi said that she was afraid she couldn't help it. He replied that it
was impossible for him to work in the room with a noise of that sort,