p and down stairs? Of
course I don't want to butt in, but if ever a house needed a man it's
this one. Why don't you have me stay on until things get to running easy
again?"

There was an embarrassing pause during which Miss Isobel fidgeted with
the cups and saucers and Miss Enid bit her lips nervously.

"Don't you-all like me?" persisted Quin with his terrible directness.

Now, Miss Isobel had spent her life in evasions and reservations and
compromises. To have even a personal liking stripped thus in public
offended her maiden modesty, and she scurried to the cover of silence.

"Of course we like you," murmured Miss Enid, coming to her rescue. "We
like you very much, Mr. Graham, and we appreciate your kindness in coming
to help us out. But mother feels that we shouldn't impose on your good
nature any longer."

Quin shook his impatient head.

"That's not it," he said. "She's mad at something I said last night, and
she's got a right to be. It was true all right, but it was none of my
business. I made up my mind before I went to bed that I was going to
apologize. I can fix things up with her. It's you and Miss Isobel I can't
understand. You say you like me, but you don't act like it. I know I make
mistakes about lots of things, and that I do things wrong and say things
I oughtn't to. But all you got to do is to call me down. I want to help
you; but that's not all--I want to learn the game. When a fellow has
knocked around with men since he was a kid----"

He broke off suddenly and stared into his coffee-cup.

"I think he might go up and speak to mother, don't you, Isobel?" asked
Miss Enid tentatively.

Quin pushed back his chair and rose precipitately from the table,
dragging the cloth away as he did so.

"That's not the point!" he said heatedly. "It's for you two to decide, as
well as her. Do you want me to go or to stay?"

Miss Isobel and Miss Enid, who had been assuring each other almost hourly
that they could not stand that awful boy in the house another day, looked
at each other intercedingly.

"It would be a great help if you could stay at least until mother learns
to use her crutches," urged Miss Enid.

"Yes, and until we get some one we can trust to stay with us at night,"
added Miss Isobel.

"I'll stay as long as you like!" said Quin heartily; and he departed to
make his peace with Madam.

CHAPTER 12

From that time on Quin's status in the family became les