house. I am no dictator, ma'am, an' I
don't wish t' be, but here I am an' here I stay, an' 'tis no fault
of mine if some things riles me temper and makes me act as I
shouldn't. I'm one that likes things t' be peaceful, ma'am, for no
one knows how much row a girrl can make in th' house better 'n than
I does, especially when she's hired by th' month an' can't be fired.
I can't forget one Mrs. Grasset I worked for, ma'am, an' her that
miserable an' cryin' all th' time, just because I had one of me bad
timper spells. I should hate t' have one of thim here, Mrs.
Fenelby."

"Well," said Mr. Fenelby, controlling his righteous indignation as
best he could, "what is it you want?"

"I want no more of thim tariff doin's!" said Bridget firmly. "Thim
tariff doin's is more than mortal mind can stand, Mr. Fenelby, sir!
Nawthin' I ever had t' do with in anny of me places riled me up like
thim tariff doin's, an' we will have no more tariff in th' house,
_if_ ye please, sir."

"Well, of all the impert--" began Mr. Fenelby angrily, but Mrs.
Fenelby put her hand on his arm and quieted him.

"Tom," she said, "please be careful! You do not have to spend your
days with Bridget, and I do! Don't be rash. Send her into the
kitchen until we talk it over."

Bridget went, willingly. She gathered an armful of dishes, and went
into her throne-room, bearing her head high. She felt that she was
master and she was.

"Now, this Commonwealth--" began Mr. Fenelby, when the kitchen door
had closed, but Billy stopped him.

"Stop being foolish, Tom," he said. "What Commonwealth are you
talking about? This is not a Commonwealth--this is an unlimited
dictatorship, and Bridget is sole dictator! Wake up; don't you know
a _coup d'etat_ when you see one? Can't you tell a usurper by
sight?"

Mr. Fenelby looked moodily at the kitchen door.

"That is what it is," said Billy decidedly. "The dictator has
smashed your republic under her iron heel; your laws are all back
numbers--if she wants any laws, she will let you know. I know the
signs. When a Great One rises up in the midst of a Republic and puts
her hands on her hips and says 'What are you going to do about it?'
and there _isn't_ anything to do about it, you have a dictator, and
all that you can do is knuckle down and be good."

There was a minute's silence. The Commonwealth was dying hard.

"I could shake the money out of Bobberts' bank," said Mr. Fenelby,
but even as he said it Bobberts wailed.