remained standing and when
a young man entered the room Mrs. Holt at once introduced her son,
George. He did not take the trouble to step around the table and shake
hands, but muttered a gruff "howdy do?" and seating himself, at once
picked up the nearest dish and began filling his plate.

His mother would have had matters otherwise. "Why, George," she
chided. "What's your hurry? Why don't you brush up and wait on Miss
Bates first?"

"Oh, if she is going to be one of the family," he said, "she will have
to learn to get on without much polly-foxing. Grub is to eat. We can
all reach at a table of this size."

Kate looked at George Holt with a searching glance. Surely he was
almost thirty, of average height, appeared strong, and as if he might
have a forceful brain; but he was loosely jointed and there was a trace
of domineering selfishness on his face that was repulsive to her. "I
could hate that MAN cordially, without half trying," she thought to
herself, smiling faintly at the thought.

The sharp eyes of Mrs. Holt detected the smile. She probably would
have noticed it, if Kate had merely thought of smiling.

"Why do you smile, my dear?" she asked in melting tone.

"Oh, I was feeling so at home," answered Kate, suavely. "Father and the
boys hold exactly those opinions and practise them in precisely the
same way; only if I were to think about it at all, I should think that
a man within a year of finishing a medical course would begin
exercising politeness with every woman he meets. I believe a doctor
depends on women to be most of his patients, and women don't like a
rude doctor."

"Rot!" said George Holt.

"Miss Bates is exactly right," said his mother. "Ain't I been tellin'
you the whole endurin' time that you'd never get a call unless you
practised manners as well as medicine? Ain't I, now?"

"Yes, you have," he said, angrily. "But if you think all of a sudden
that manners are so essential, why didn't you hammer some into me when
you had the whip hand and could do what you pleased? You didn't find
any fault with my manners, then."

"How of all the world was I to know that you'd grow up and go in for
doctorin'? I s'pos'd then you'd take the farm an' run it like your pa
did, stead of forcin' me to sell it off by inches to live, an' then you
wastin' half the money."

"Go it, Mother," said George Holt, rudely. "Tell all you know, and
then piece out with anything you can think of that you don't.