desirable except Percy. And then, just when I thought something might come
of it, you up and get engaged to Brady Thorpe, keeping it secret from the
public into the bargain. Confound it, you didn't even tell me till last
fall. Your stupid secretiveness allowed me to go on getting into Percy's
debt, when a word from you might have saved me a lot of trouble."

"Will you kindly leave the room, George?" said his mother, arising.

"Percy is making himself fearfully obnoxious," went on George ominously.
"For nearly three weeks I've been dodging him, and it can't go on much
longer. One of these fine days, mother, a prominent member of the
Wintermill family is going to receive a far from exclusive thrashing.
That's the only way I can think of to stop him, if I can't raise the money
to pay him up. Some day I'm going to refrain from dodging and he is going
to run right square into this." He held up a brawny fist. "I'm going to
hold it just so, and it won't be too high for his nose, either. Then I'm
going to pick him up and turn him around, with his face toward the
Battery, and kick just as hard as I know how. I'll bet my head he'll not
bother me about money after that—unless, of course, he's cad enough to sue
me. I don't think he'll do that, however, being a proud and haughty
Wintermill. I suppose we'll all be eliminated from the Wintermill
invitation list after that, and it may be that we'll go without a
fashionable dinner once in awhile, but what's all that to the preservation
of the family dignity?"

Mrs. Tresslyn leaned suddenly against a chair, and even Anne turned to
regard her tall brother with a look of real dismay.

"How much do you owe him?" asked the former, controlling her voice with an
effort.