nybody lived upon. Norah had been asked up a few days before out of
the City to give her air--which is the only thing that can be safely
and freely given to poor relations. Thus she had arrived at Castel
Casteggio with one diminutive trunk, so small and shabby that even the
servants who carried it upstairs were ashamed of it. In it were a pair
of brand new tennis shoes (at ninety cents reduced to seventy-five) and
a white dress of the kind that is called "almost evening," and such few
other things as poor relations might bring with fear and trembling to
join in the simple rusticity of the rich.

Thus stood Norah looking at Mr. Spillikins.

As for him, such is the contrariety of human things, he had no eyes for
her at all.

"What a perfectly charming house this is," Mr. Spillikins was saying.
He always said this on such occasions, but it seemed to the Little Girl
in Green that he spoke with wonderful social ease.

"I am so glad you think so," said Mrs. Newberry (this was what she
always answered); "you've no idea what work it has been. This year we
put in all this new glass in the east conservatory, over a thousand
panes. Such a tremendous business!"

"I was just telling Mr. Spillikins," said Mr. Newberry, "about the work
we had blasting out the motor road. You can see the gap where it lies
better from here, I think, Spillikins. I must have exploded a ton and a
half of dynamite on it."

"By Jove!" said Mr. Spillikins; "it must be dangerous work eh? I wonder
you aren't afraid of it."

"One simply gets used to it, that's all," said Newberry, shrugging his
shoulders; "but of course it is dangerous. I blew up two Italians on
the last job." He paused a minute and added musingly, "Hardy fellows,
the Italians. I prefer them to any other people for blasting."

"Did you blow them up yourself?" asked Mr. Spillikins.

"I wasn't here," answered Mr. Newberry. "In fact, I never care to be
here when I'm blasting. We go to town. But I had to foot the bill for
them all the same. Quite right, too. The risk, of course, was mine, not
theirs; that's the law, you know. They cost me two thousand each."

"But come," said Mrs. Newberry, "I think we must go and dress for
dinner. Franklin will be frightfully put out if we're late. Franklin is
our butler," she went on, seeing that Mr. Spillikins didn't understand
the reference, "and as we brought him out from England we have to be
rather careful. With a good man like Franklin one is alwa