“It is my turn,” he said reproachfully.  “You are not playing fair.  I say we submit this to arbitration.  You had first shot at Miss Landbury, didn’t you?”

“I am not a nigger baby at a county fair, three shots for ten cents,” interrupted Nancy resentfully.  But when the others laughed at her ready sally, she joined in good-naturedly.

“You don’t look like a lunger,” said Barrows, eying her critically.

“Mr. Duke thinks I came out for the benefit of my disposition.”

“Good idea.”  Nevius jerked a note-book from his pocket and made a hurried notation.

“Taking notes for a sermon?” asked Carol.

“No, for a sickness.  That’s where I’ll get ’em next.  I hadn’t thought of the disposition.  Thank you, thank you very much.  I’ll have it to-morrow.  Bugs in the disposition,—­sounds medical, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, don’t, Mr. Nevius,” entreated Carol.  “Don’t get anything the matter with your disposition.  We don’t care where else you collect them, as long as you keep on making us laugh.  But, woodman, spare that disposition.”

Nevius pulled out the note-book and crossed off the notation.  “There it goes again,” he muttered.  “Women always were a blot on the escutcheon of scientific progress.  Just to oblige you, I’ve got to forego the pleasure of making a medical curiosity of myself.  Well, well.  Women are all right for domestic purposes, but they sure are a check on science.”

“They are a check on your bank-book, too, let me tell you,” said Barrows quickly.  “I never cared how much my wife checked me up on science, but when she checked me out of three bank-accounts I drew the line.”

“Speaking of death,” began Nevius suddenly.

“Nobody spoke of it, and nobody wants to,” said Carol.

“Miss Tucker suggests it by the forlornity of her attitude.  And since she has started the subject, I must needs continue.  I want to tell you something funny.  You weren’t here when Reddy Waters croaked, were you, Duke?  He had the cottage next to mine.  I was in bed at the time with—­well, I don’t remember where I was breaking out at the time, but I was in bed.  You may have noticed that I have what might be called a classic pallor, and a general resemblance to a corpse.”

Nancy shivered a little and Carol frowned, but Nevius continued imperturbably.  “The undertaker down-town is a lunger, and a nervous wreck to boot.  But he is a good undertaker.  He works hard.  Maybe he is practising up so he can do a really artistic job on himself when the time comes.  Anyhow, Reddy died.  They always come after them when the rest of us are in at dinner.  It interferes with the appetite to see the long basket going out.  So when the rest were eating, old Bennett comes driving up after Reddy.  It was just about dark, that dusky, spooky time when the shadows come down from the mountains and cover up the sunny slopes you preachers