Mr. Dick made a move at that to go across the fireplace to her, but Mr. Sam pushed him back where he was.

“You stay right there,” he said.  “Here’s Pierce now.”

He came in smiling, and as he stood inside the door, brushing the snow off, it was queer to see how his eyes went around the circle until he’d found Miss Patty and stopped at her.

Nobody answered his smile, and he came over to the fire beside Miss Patty.

“Great night!” he said, looking down at her.  “There’s something invigorating in just breathing that wind.”

“Do you think so?” Mrs. Sam said disagreeably.  “Of course, we haven’t all got your shoulders.”

“That’s so,” he answered, turning to her.  “I said you women should not come so far.  We could have met in my sitting-room.”

“You forget one thing,” Mr. Dick put in disagreeably, “and that is that this meeting concerns me, and I can not very well go to your sitting-room.”

“Fact,” said Mr. Pierce, “I’d forgotten about you for the moment.”

“You generally do,” Mr. Dick retorted.  “If you want the truth, Pierce, I’m about tired of your high-handed methods.”

Mr. Pierce set his jaw and looked down at him.

“Why?  I’ve saved the place, haven’t I?  Why, look here,” he said, and pulled out a couple of letters, “these are the first fruits of those that weep—­in other words, per aspera ad astra!  Two new guests coming the last of the week—­want to be put in training!”

Well, that was an argument nobody could find fault with, but their grievance was about themselves and they couldn’t forgive him.  They turned on him in the most heartless way—­even Miss Patty—­and demanded that he give them special privileges—­breakfast when they wanted it, and Mr. Sam the key to the bar.  And he stood firm, as he had that day in the lobby, and let the storm beat around him, looking mostly at Miss Patty.  It was more than I could bear.

“Shame on all of you!” I said.  “He’s done what he promised he’d do, and more.  If he did what he ought, he’d leave this minute, and let you find out for yourself what it is to drive thirty-odd different stomachs and the same number of bad dispositions in one direction.”

“You are perfectly right, Minnie,” Miss Patty said.  “We’re beastly, all of us, and I’m sorry.”  She went over and held out her hand to him.  “You’ve done the impossible,” she told him.  He beamed.

“Your approval means more than anything,” he said, holding her hand.  Mrs. Dick sat up and opened her eyes wide.

“Speaking of Oskar,” she began, and then stopped, staring past her sister, toward the door.

We all turned, and there, blinking in the light, was Miss Summers.

CHAPTER XXVI

OVER THE FENCE IS OUT

“Well!” she said, and stood staring.  Then she smiled—­I guess our faces were funny.