Penelope interposed. "I don't believe Irene's read it yet. I've just
got it out of the library; I heard so much talk about it. I wish she
would let you find out a little about the people for yourself," she
added. But here her father struck in--

"I can't get the time for books. It's as much as I can do to keep up
with the newspapers; and when night comes, I'm tired, and I'd rather go
out to the theatre, or a lecture, if they've got a good stereopticon to
give you views of the places. But I guess we all like a play better
than 'most anything else. I want something that'll make me laugh. I
don't believe in tragedy. I think there's enough of that in real life
without putting it on the stage. Seen 'Joshua Whitcomb'?"

The whole family joined in the discussion, and it appeared that they
all had their opinions of the plays and actors. Mrs. Lapham brought
the talk back to literature. "I guess Penelope does most of our
reading."

"Now, mother, you're not going to put it all on me!" said the girl, in
comic protest.

Her mother laughed, and then added, with a sigh: "I used to like to get
hold of a good book when I was a girl; but we weren't allowed to read
many novels in those days. My mother called them all LIES. And I
guess she wasn't so very far wrong about some of them."

"They're certainly fictions," said Corey, smiling.

"Well, we do buy a good many books, first and last," said the Colonel,
who probably had in mind the costly volumes which they presented to one
another on birthdays and holidays. "But I get about all the reading I
want in the newspapers. And when the girls want a novel, I tell 'em to
get it out of the library. That's what the library's for. Phew!" he
panted, blowing away the whole unprofitable subject. "How close you
women-folks like to keep a room! You go down to the sea-side or up to
the mountains for a change of air, and then you cork yourselves into a
room so tight you don't have any air at all. Here! You girls get on
your bonnets, and go and show Mr. Corey the view of the hotels from the
rocks."

Corey said that he should be delighted. The girls exchanged looks with
each other, and then with their mother. Irene curved her pretty chin
in comment upon her father's incorrigibility, and Penelope made a droll
mouth, but the Colonel remained serenely content with his finesse. "I
got 'em out of the way," he said, as soon as they were gone, and before
his wife had time to fall