his pocket."

"I can well believe he didn't say a word," Clara remarked with a shrug.
"Some day he'll forget how to talk."

"Oh, but they say he's a grand speaker in the Legislature. He knows
when to keep quiet. That's why he's got such influence in politics. The
people have confidence in him." Johanna beat up a pillow and held it
under her fat chin while she slipped on the case. Her niece laughed.

"Maybe we could make people believe we were wise, Aunty, if we held our
tongues. Why did you tell Mrs. Ericson that Norman threw me again last
Saturday and turned my foot? She's been talking to Olaf."

Johanna fell into great confusion. "Oh, but, my precious, the old lady
asked for you, and she's always so angry if I can't give an excuse.
Anyhow, she needn't talk; she's always tearing up something with that
motor of hers."

When her aunt clattered down to the kitchen, Clara went to dust the
parlour. Since there was not much there to dust, this did not take very
long. Olaf had built the house new for her before their marriage, but
her interest in furnishing it had been short-lived. It went, indeed,
little beyond a bathtub and her piano. They had disagreed about almost
even, other article of furniture, and Clara had said she would rather
have her house empty than full of things she didn't want. The house was
set in a hillside, and the west windows of the parlour looked out above
the kitchen yard thirty feet below. The east windows opened directly
into the front yard. At one of the latter, Clara, while she was dusting,
heard a low whistle. She did not turn at once, but listened intently as
she drew her cloth slowly along the round of a chair. Yes, there it was:

I dreamt that I dwelt in ma-a-arble halls.

She turned and saw Nils Ericson laughing in the sunlight, his hat in his
hand, just outside the window. As she crossed the room he leaned against
the wire screen. "Aren't you at all surprised to see me, Clara Vavrika?"

"No; I was expecting to see you. Mother Ericson telephoned Olaf last
night that you were here."

Nils squinted and gave a long whistle. "Telephoned? That must have been
while Eric and I were out walking. Isn't she enterprising? Lift this
screen, won't you?"

Clara lifted the screen, and Nils swung his leg across the window-sill.
As he stepped into the room she said: "You didn't think you were going
to get ahead of your mother, did you?"

He threw his hat on the piano. "Oh, I do sometimes. You see,