skirts. He goes right on with his growlin' and
grumblin'--about the way his Chink cook serves the tea, about havin' to
live in a rotten hole like Harbor Hills, about everything in general.
But a great deal of it is just to hear himself talk, I judge.

We had a perfectly good high tea, and them buttered scones with
marmalade couldn't be beat. Also he shows us all over the house, and Vee
raves about it.

"Look, Torchy!" says she. "That glimpse of water from the living-room
windows. Isn't that dear? And one could have such a wonderful garden
beyond. Such a splendid big fireplace, too. And what huge beams in the
ceiling! It's a very old house, isn't it, Mr. Shinn?"

"The rascally agent who sold it to me said it was," says MacGregor, "but
I wouldn't believe a word of his on any subject. 'Did I ask you for an
old house, at all?' I tells him. For what I wanted was just a place
where I could live quiet, and maybe have me game of golf when I wanted
it. But here I've gone off me game; and, besides, the country's no place
to live quiet in. I should be in town, so I should, like any decent
white man. I've a mind to look up a place at once. Try another scone,
young lady."

So it was long after six before we got away, and the last thing
MacGregor does is to load Vee down with a whole armful of lilac
blossoms.

I suppose Mr. and Mrs. Robert thought we'd been makin' a wholesale raid
when they saw us comin' in with the plunder. Mrs. Robert almost turns
pale.

"Mercy!" says she. "You don't mean to say you got all those from our
neighbor's bushes, do you?"

"Uh-huh," says I. "We've been mesmerizin' MacGregor. He's as tame a
Scot now as you'd want to see."

They could hardly believe it, and when they heard about our havin' tea
with him they gasped.

"Of all persons!" says Mrs. Robert. "Why, he has been glaring at us for
a year, and sending us the most bristling messages. I don't understand."

Mr. Robert, though, winks knowin'.

"Some of Torchy's red-headed diplomacy, I suspect," says he. "I must
engage you to make our peace with MacGregor."

That's all we saw of him, though, durin' our stay. For one thing, we was
kept fairly busy. I never knew you could have so much fun in the
country. Ever watch a bunch of young ducks waddlin' about? Say, ain't
they a circus! And them fluffy little chicks squabblin' over worms.
Honest, I near laughed myself sick. Vee was for luggin' some of 'em home
to the apartment. But she was thrilled o