Mrs. Dicky's eyes and kissed her, she being, as he explained, his
sister-in-law now and much too pretty for him to scold.

And when the Dickys found they were not going to be separated we had
more coffee all around and everybody grew more cheerful.

Oh, we were very cheerful! I look back now and think how cheerful we
were, and I shudder. It was strange that we hadn't been warned by Mr.
Pierce's square jaw, but we were not. We sat around the fire and ate and
laughed, and Mr. Dick arranged that Mr. Pierce should come out to him
every evening for orders about the place if he accepted, and everybody
felt he would--and I was to come at the same time and bring a basket of
provisions for the next day. Of course, the instant Mr. Jennings left
the young couple could go into the sanatorium as guests under another
name and be comfortable. And as soon as the time limit was up, and the
place was still running smoothly, they could declare the truth, claim
the sanatorium, having fulfilled the conditions of the will, and confess
to Mr. Jennings--over the long-distance wire.

Well, it promised well, I must say. Mr. Stitt left on the ten train that
morning, looking lemon-colored and mottled. He insisted that he wasn't
able to go, but Mr. Sam gave him a headache powder and put him on the
train, anyhow.

Yes, as I say, it promised well. But we made two mistakes: we didn't
count on Mr. Thoburn, and we didn't know Mr. Pierce. And who could have
imagined that Mike the bath man would do as he did?