pted the
situation gracefully, not one word of protest passing her lips and she
did her best to entertain her guests. But poor old Jerome's soul was so
outraged that for the first time in his life he was completely
demoralized. Only one person in the entire household seemed absolutely
and entirely satisfied and that was Harrison, and her self-satisfaction
so irritated Mammy that the good old creature sputtered out:

"Kingdom come, is yo' gittin' ter de pint when yo' kin see sich
gwines-on an' not r'ar right spang up an' _sass_ dat 'oman?"

"Just wait!" was Harrison's cryptic reply.

CHAPTER V

RUCTIONS!

Jerome had just passed a silver platter to Madam Stewart, his hands
trembling so perceptibly as to provoke from her the words: "Have you a
chill, Jerome?" as she conveyed to her plate some of Cynthia's
delicately fried chicken.

Jerome made no answer, but started toward Peggy's chair. He never
reached it, for at that moment a deep voice boomed in from the hall:

"Peggy Stewart, ahoy!"

With the joyous, ringing cry of:

"Daddy Neil! Oh, Daddy Neil!" Peggy sprang from the table to fling
herself into her father's arms, and to startle him beyond words by
bursting into tears. Never in all of his going to and fro, however long
his absences from his home, had he met with such a reception as this.
Invariably a smiling Peggy had greeted him and the present outbreak
struck to the very depth of his soul, and did more in one minute to
reveal to him the force of Harrison's letter than a dozen complaints.
The tears betrayed a nervous tension of which even Peggy herself had
been entirely unaware, and for Peggy to have reached a mental condition
where nerves could assert themselves was an indication that chaos was
imminent. For a moment she could only sob hysterically, while her father
held her close in his arms and said in a tone which she had never yet
heard:

"Why, Peggy! My little girl, my little girl, have you needed Daddy Neil
as much as this?"

Peggy made a gallant rally of her self-control and cried:

"Oh, Daddy, and everybody, please forgive me, but I am so surprised and
startled and delighted that I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm so
ashamed of myself," and smiling through her tears she strove to draw
away from her father that he might greet the others, but he kept her
close within his circling left arm, as he extended his hand in response
to the effusive greeting of his sister-in-law.

With what