It was a long time before either of us spoke again, and then Dicky drew a deep breath.

“I have a confession to make about your cousin, Madge,” he began, carefully avoiding my eyes, “and I might as well get it over with before we go home.  Mother’s probably asleep, but she might wake up, and then there would be no chance for any talk by ourselves.”

“Don’t tell me anything unless you wish to do so, Dicky,” I replied gently.  “I am content to leave things just as they are without question.”

“No,” Dicky said stubbornly, “it’s due you and it’s due your cousin that I tell you this.  I don’t often make a bally ass of myself, but when I do I am about as willing a person to eat dirt about it as you can find.”

I never shall get used to Dicky’s expressions.  The language in which he couched his repentance seemed so uncouth to me that I mentally shivered.  Outwardly I made no sign, however.

“When he came to the apartment,” Dicky went on, “I was just about as nearly insane as a man could be.  I had no idea where you had gone and I had just had the devil’s own time with my mother and Katie over your sudden departure.”

“What did your mother say to all this?”

I asked the question timorously.

Dicky laughed.  “Well! of course she didn’t go into raptures over the affair,” he said, “but I think she learned a lesson.  At least I endeavored to help her learn one.  I read the riot act to her after you left.”

“Oh!  Dicky!” I protested, “that was hardly fair?”

“I know it,” he admitted shamefacedly.  “I am afraid I did rather take it out on the mater when I found you had really gone.  But she deserved a good deal of it.  You have done everything in your power to make things pleasant for her since she came, and she has treated you about as shabbily as was possible.”

“Oh! not that bad, Dicky,” I protested again, but I knew in my heart that what he said was true.  His mother had treated me most unfairly.  I could not help a little malicious thrill of pleasure that he had finally resented it for me.

“Just that bad, little Miss Forgiveness,” Dicky returned, smiling at me tenderly.

My heart leaped at the words.  When Dicky is in good humor he coins all sorts of tender names for me.  I knew that to Dicky our quarrel was as if it had never happened.

“I’ll give you a pointer about mother, Madge,” Dicky went on.  “When you see her, act as if nothing had happened at all, it’s the only way to manage her.  She can be most charming when she wants to be, but every once in a while she takes one of those silent tantrums, and there is no living with her until she gets over it.”

I didn’t make any comment on this speech, fearing to say the wrong thing.

“But I didn’t start to tell you about Katie.”  Dicky switched the subject determinedly.  “I might as well get it off my chest.  When your cousin came in and introduced himself the first thing I did was to attempt to strike him.”