Carmella Commands
“Not Kid Kate?” he asked, looking for an explanation.
“No spika Eenglish,” said the father calmly.
Dixon realized that he had been shut out of a fact.
Presently Mrs. Alibrio appeared, resplendant in red and yellow and navy blue.
The drive to Greendale was made without conversation, except as Tommaso and Mrs. Alibrio exchanged an occasional brief phrase in Italian. Arrived at the place, Mr. Barrington showed Tommaso the condition of the enterprise, the points where haste was most necessary, and outlined the terms he was willing to give. He even had the machine driven to the rival development down the road, in order that he might study the nature of the competition.
Mrs. Alibrio interpreted quietly and without color. Occasionally she did not know one of Mr. Barrington’s words, in which case she asked him to simplify. He was finding this hard to do, because his anger was mounting as he saw the steady digging on the rival project, and as Tommaso’s deliberate manner continued.
At last, after much conversation that Mr. Barrington counted needless, the afternoon saw a preliminary agreement drawn up. Tommaso promised to provide a gang that would dig cellars at a rate unprecedented in Greendale. For speed he was to have a bonus large enough to divide with his men. And then the Bar-
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