“That you have a nerve!” Alix finished, not with any particular venom.  “That document throws the case out of court,” she said, flatly.  “Peter is confident of that!”

Anne’s pale face flushed a trifle, and her eyes narrowed.

“Yes, but it doesn’t throw the will out of court,” she said quickly.

“You proposed to break the Will!” Alix reminded her, getting angry.

“I know I did, but it might be valid, after all, and under that Will I inherit only a fifth less than you and Cherry!” Anne answered, also with feeling.  “That’s just what I came over to talk about,” she added, still smiling.  “Isn’t it better,” and all friendliness and appeal were in her voice, “isn’t it better to do it all in a kindly manner, than to fight about it?  Why, we can easily settle it among ourselves,” she assured them, sensibly.

Alix shrugged, and looked down at the wheel of her car with a doubtful shake of her head.  Cherry, now standing beside it on the platform, was flushed and uncomfortable.  There was an awkward pause.

“Board?” shouted a trainman, with a rising inflection.  The sisters looked at each other in a panic of haste.

“I can’t leave this car here.”  Alix exclaimed.  “I’ve got to park her and lock her and everything!  Run get on board, Cherry, I don’t have to go in anyway—­you’ve got a date!”

Cherry’s heart leaped, sank coldly, and leaped again, as with a swift nod of parting she hurried for her train.  The other two women watched her with forced interest as she climbed on board, and as the train slipped noiselessly out of sight.  It curved among the redwoods, and was gone before either spoke again.  Then, as her eyes met Anne’s friendly, questioning smile, Alix said awkwardly: 

“I think the only thing to do is for you and Justin to take this up with Peter, Anne.  I mean—­I mean that you were the ones who proposed to bring it into court in the first place, and—­and I don’t understand much about it!”

“Alix, don’t let’s talk in a cold, hard, legal way,” Anne pleaded.  She had gotten into the back seat, and was leaning on the front seat in an informal sort of way.  “Let’s just try to get each other’s point of view!” she suggested.  “The idea is that Uncle Lee wanted all his girls to inherit alike—­”

“That idea didn’t seem to impress you much a week ago!” Alix said, glad to feel herself getting angry.

“My dear, I was going to divide it to the last Penny!” Anne assured her, widening her eyes.

Alix was silent, but the silence shouted her unbelief.

“Truly, I was,” Anne went on.  “This—­this discovery only complicates matters.  Why, the last thing in the world that dear Uncle Lee would wish would be to have us drag the family name into a law-suit—­”

“You and Justin began it!” Alix reminded her, goaded into reluctant speech.

“I beg your pardon!” It was a favourite phrase of Anne’s.  “But it was Peter who said he would fight!”