Carmella Commands
way, they were connected with such items as pearl necklaces.
“Yes, sir!” she repeated, pretending to have choked a bit as she thought. “I am interested in Greendale. My dad has some land out there. Some men tried to buy it the other day.”
“Rodney!” exclaimed Mrs. Barrington. For her husband was suddenly holding his knife and fork in his hands, both straight in the air. And he was staring at Carmella as even John had not stared.
“Su-weet Jerusalem!” he was saying.
Practically every early habit of his to which Mrs. Barrington had objected in earlier days had now come back to him, like a spell. Both of his elbows were on the table. He had reverted to an expletive she hated.
“Rodney!” she repeated. But he was oblivious.
“Who was trying to buy your father’s land?” he asked softly.
“Two men. Mr. Hastings and Mr. Richmond.”
“Su-weet Jerusalem!” said Mr. Barrington again.
Later, when he recalled his perturbation on this occasion, he wondered if he ought not to play poker oftener than every Saturday night at the Pioneer Club, to improve his emotional technique. But who in the world, he asked himself, would suspect that a dago kid picked up by his wife at a settlement house would prove to be the key figure in a real estate deal?
“Nobody!” he once shouted to himself, and then flushed.
[89]
