at it be kept exactly as he had known
and loved it during the ideal hours he had spent in it with wife and
child. He and Peggy had spent many a precious one there since its
radiant, gracious mistress had slept in the pine grove. Harrison crossed
the hall and opened the door, still mute as an oyster. Mrs. Stewart
swept in, Toinette, who had followed her, tearing across the room ahead
of her and darting into every nook and corner. At that moment the
obnoxious poodle came nearer her doom than she had ever come in all her
useless life, for Harrison was a-quiver to hurl her through the open
window.

"What charming rooms," exclaimed Madam, trailing languidly from one to
the other, touching a book here, some exquisite curio there, the carved
ivory toilet articles on the dresser. The morning sunlight, tempered by
the green and white awnings at the great bowed-windows filled the
tastefully decorated rooms with a restful glow. They were beautiful
rooms in every sense of the word.

"Very charming indeed and very useless apparently. They seem not to have
been occupied in months. They are far more desirable than those assigned
to me at the North side of the house. The view of the bay is perfect. As
I am to be here indefinitely, instead of one month only, you may have my
things moved over to this suite, Harrison. I shall occupy it in future."

"Occupy _this_ suite?" Harrison almost gasped the words.

"Certainly. Why not? You need not look as though I had ordered you to
build a fire in the middle of the floor," and Mrs. Peyton laughed half
scornfully.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but when _Mr. Neil_ gives the order to move your
things into this suite, I'll move them here. These was his wife's rooms
and his orders to me was never to change 'em and I never shall 'till
_he_ tells me to. There's some things in this world that can't be
tampered with. Please call your dog, ma'am; she's scratchin' that couch
cover to ribbons."

The enemy's guns were silenced for the time being. She picked up her
poodle and swept from the room. Harrison paused only long enough to
close all the doors, lock them and place the keys in her little hand
bag. Then she departed to her own quarters to give vent to her pent-up
wrath.

Mrs. Stewart retired to her own room.

The next evening Dr. Llewellyn arrived and when he took his seat at the
table his gentle face was troubled: Mrs. Peyton had usurped Peggy's
place at the head. Peggy sat opposite to him. She had acce