"Don't dare laugh at us!" smiled his sister. "I wish we were back in
Tenth Street. But so many children came--Billy, Josephine, Winthrop, and
Tina--and the Tenth Street house wasn't half big enough; and a dreadful
speculative builder built this house and persuaded Austin to buy it. Oh,
dear, and here we are among the rich and great; and the steel kings and
copper kings and oil kings and their heirs and dauphins. _Do_ you like
the house?"

"It's--ah--roomy," he said cheerfully.

"Oh! It isn't so bad from the outside. And we have just had it
redecorated inside. Mizner did it. Look, dear, isn't that a cunning
bedroom?" drawing him toward a partly open door. "Don't be so horridly
critical. Austin is becoming used to it now, so don't stir him up and
make fun of things. Anyway you're going to stay here."

"No, I'm at the Holland."

"Of _course_ you're to live with us. You've resigned from the service,
haven't you?"

He looked at her sharply, but did not reply.

A curious flash of telepathy passed between them; she hesitated, then:

"You once promised Austin and me that you would stay with us."

"But, Nina--"

"No, no, no! Wait," pressing an electric button; "Watson, Captain