I said that after we ate our supper we’d more than likely sign off, and if they came here they’d find we had faded out of the picture for the night.”

“Jerry! Really? What did she say?’

“She said, ‘Sign off? What do you mean? Don’t you think of signing anything, either of you, till you get some uncle’s advice. But of course, I forgot; neither of you are of age, so it really wouldn’t matter. But that’s what you always have to be careful about, signing things, to be sure you thoroughly understand them. Any man would tell you that. What is it they want you to sign? Who wants you to sign it? Don’t do it, Jeremy! I’d better come right over and see it. I’ll come at once!’ My word but I had a hard time explaining. I told her I wasn’t going to sign anything and nobody wanted us to sign it, anyway, and it was just a slang phrase for hitting the hay. Then she began on that and pranced out a hole farmyard to discourse on, till I headed her off by saying in plain English I mean we are going to get rested, and then she just said, ‘Oh!’ very coldly. I thought she was going to quit then, but after a pause she began to discourse on slang. She said she wouldn’t think I would dishonor the memory of my father and mother by using slang so soon after they were gone, and she guessed she had better come over and talk to me, anyway. But I told her if she did I wouldn’t be here, that I didn’t want to talk to anybody tonight. So at last she hung up, after saying she’d be over the first thing in the morning, and I was to be sure to tell you to wait here till she comes.”

The brother and sister had a good laugh over that.

“I scarcely think she’ll find me here,” said Jennifer, with a grimace. “I wish there was some way we could keep her from coming for another day at least.”

“Well, I hope I did,” said Jeremy, dropping into his seat and attacking his chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy with a vigor. He had worked hard and was hungry. “I told her to make it the next day instead, if she didn’t mind. I knew you had a lot of letters to write and you wouldn’t have the time to talk to her yet. So she said perhaps she would. She wanted to go over to Aunt Majesta’s tomorrow, and since you had your day planned and didn’t need her, she guessed she would go there. So! That’s that!”

“Nobly done, brother dear!” said Jennifer. “You certainly are clever. I’ll always send you to the phone and the door when people call that I want to get rid of.”

“Okay with me, Jen. Does that hold for Pete, too? I certainly would like to give him the go-by sometime. He’s patronized me insufferably for the last two years, and I’d like to get it back on him. But I suppose you’ll draw the line at him.”

“Hop to it, brother, so long as you are polite and don’t get into a fight. But I hope Pete understands he’s not to come tonight. I told him I couldn’t see him.”

“Oh yeah?” said Jerry. “Well, if I know my Pete, that won’t discourage him the least little bit. But you say the word and I’ll just be ready to hand him something that will clear him out of the running for the night. Say, Jen, how about you going up to your room and lying down with your light out, for half an hour, after you are ready? Couldn’t you manage that? He couldn’t do anything about it if I told him you had retired, could he? It wouldn’t be a bad idea for all the rest, either. It’s not going to be so good having anybody come to find no servant to open the door, you know.