sitated, disappeared, and returned.

"Thank you, Elice. Sit down over there, please, where I can see you. It
makes them taste better. That's right. Thank you, again. I'm going to pay
my bill now by telling you your fortune. You're going to make a great
cook."

"I wonder," said the girl, enigmatically.

"There's no question about it. And for good measure I'm going to retail
the latest gossip. What, by the way and as a preliminary, do you suppose
I've been doing all day?"

"It's vacation. Fishing, I presume."

"Stung! I did go fishing this morning--four o'clock, caught one too; but
it was so small and innocent looking that I apologized and threw it back.
That wasn't what I referred to, however. You'll have to guess again."

"I haven't the slightest idea."

"I'm compelled to assist you then. I've been helping the Randalls settle.
Harry 'phoned me early this morning and wanted to know if I didn't desire
to be useful; said he would exchange compliments sometime." A significant
pause, then a reminiscent sigh. "Every vertebra in my spinal column aches
with an individual and peculiar pain."

"They're really settled at last, are they?" inquired the girl,
interestedly. "I can hardly wait to see how things look."

"I don't blame you for being curious, Elice," sympathized Armstrong. "I
felt a bit the same way myself." A rueful grin. "Merely among ourselves,
however, and as a word of advice between friends, you'd better curb your
impatience for about a week longer."

"And why? You're darkly mysterious, as usual."

"Mysterious! Heavens, no; merely compassionate." He held up his hand for
inspection. "Look at that blister. It's as big as a dime and feels like a
prune. They're not done yet and they'd induce you to duplicate it if they
ever got you into their clutches. So long as it's all in the family I
think one blister is about sufficient. Better lay low for a week
anyway."

"Steve," the voice was severe, "you're simply impossible. They'd never
forgive you if they knew you talked that way."

"Yes, they would," easily. "I promised to come back and help complete the
job." Of a sudden he laughed boyishly, reminiscently. "Seriously, Elice,
I've had a memorable day." He laughed again. "Pardon me, but I've wanted
to do that for hours and didn't dare. Such a mixture of furnishings as
those two people have accumulated you never saw brought together under
one roof before in your life."

"Mixture, how? I fail to see the joke."