preposterously impossible suspicion
which, now that he had a chance to glance about the room, was confirmed
instantly--absolutely. It was astounding--utterly unbelievable--and
yet on all the walls, in every corner, there were the indisputable
evidences of her intention to remain indefinitely--permanently.

At least it gave him an opening.

"You don't mean to say," he began challengingly, "you don't mean to
tell me that you're a-figurin' on stayin' here--for good?"

She pursed her lips and nodded vigorously at him until the loosened
wisps of hair half hid her eyes. It was quite as though she were
pleased beyond belief that he had got at the gist of it all so
speedily.

"Yes, for good," she explained ecstatically, "or," more slowly, "or at
least for quite a while. You see I like it here! It's just like home
already--just like I always imagined home would be when I really had
one, anyway. There's so much room--and it's warm, too. And then, the
floors don't squeak, either. I don't think I care for squeaky
floors--do you?"

A quick widening of those almost purple eyes accompanied the last
question.

The little white-haired figure in the back-tilted chair snorted. He
tried to disguise it behind a belated cough, but it was quite
palpably a snort of outraged patience and dignity. She couldn't fool
him any longer--not even with that wide-eyed appealingly infantile
stare. He knew, without looking closer, that there was a flare of
mirth hidden within its velvet duskiness. And there was only one way
to deal with such shallowness--that was with firm and unmistakable
severity. He leaned forward and pounded one meager knee for emphasis
as Judge Maynard had often done.

"You can't do it!" he emphasized flatly, his thin voice almost
gloatingly triumphant. "Whatever put it into your head I don't
know--but don't you realize what you're a-doin', comin' up here like
this and movin' in, high-handed, without speaking to nobody? Well,
you've made yourself liable to trespass--that's what you've done!
Trespass and house-breaking, too, I guess, without interviewin' me
first!"

The violet eyes flew wider. Old Jerry was certain that he caught a
gleam of apprehension in them. She took one faltering step toward him
and then stopped, irresolute, apparently. Somehow the mute appeal in
that whole poise was too much, even for his outraged dignity. Maybe he
had gone a little too far. He attempted to temper the harshness of
it.

"Not a-cours