house-maid, and if that man was going to poke his nose into drains, and
gas-pipes, and kerosene lamps, and bowls of sour milk which she might
have forgotten, she should give notice to quit.

But when, half an hour later, some boxes and trunks which had come by
express were deposited in the back hall, and Arthur, who was
superintending them, said to her, as he pointed to a large black trunk,
'I think this has the dress patterns and shawls I brought for you,
girls; for though I did not know you personally, I knew that women were
always pleased with anything from Paris' her feelings underwent a
radical change, and Arthur was free to smell the drain and the gas
fixtures as much as he liked.

He was very busy, and though always pleasant, and even familiar at
times, there was in all he said and did an air of ownership, as if he
had assumed the mastership. And he had. Everything was his, and he knew
it, and Frank knew it, too, and gave no sign of rebelling when the reins
were taken from him by one who seemed to be driving at a break-neck
speed.

At lunch, while the brothers were together, Arthur announced his
intentions in part, but not until Frank, who was anxious to get it off
his mind, said to him:

'By the way, I suppose you will be going to the office this afternoon,
to see Colvin and look over the books. I believe you will find them
straight, and hope you will not think I have spent too much, or drawn
too large a salary. It you do, I will--'

'Nonsense!' was Arthur's reply, with a graceful shrug of his shoulders.