t of the rent."

"I don't envy you the process," said my husband.

"Oh, well, I imagine there will be no trouble about it. We know our
rights."

"Has it ever occurred to you that we might know ours?" said Aubrey.

"Yes, certainly. But you know, Mr. Jardine, we are agents for a large
number of the best apartment-houses in New York, and we have not given
heat to any one so far."

"I only live in this one," said Aubrey. "It does not interest me in the
least what temperature other of your tenants prefer. I shall have this
apartment warm when _I_ think it is cold."

"Well, but--I understand how you feel, but--no one ever did such a thing
as this before in the whole course of my thirty-five years' experience."

"I can quite believe it," said Aubrey, thinking of the people we knew who
suffered without a protest.

"Then you can imagine my surprise this morning to receive this," said
Jepson.

"I can quite imagine it," returned my husband, with an irony wasted on
Jepson, but delightful to me.

"Well," said our visitor, rising, "I hope you will think better of it and
send me a cheque for the full amount. It will save unpleasantness."

"I anticipate unpleasantness from my past experience with you," said the
Angel, "and that is every cent you will get from me for November rent."

"Then we shall sue you, Mr. Jardine. Doubtless you would be embarrassed
to be sued for twenty-seven dollars."

"It wouldn't embarrass me to be sued for twenty-seven cents," said
Aubrey, cheerfully, for he always expands in good nature when the other
man shows signs of temper.

"Do you expect us to sue?" asked the astonished agent.

"Here is my defence," said Aubrey, pleasantly, drawing a bundle of law
papers from his pocket. "My partner and I have been at work on this case
for a fortnight."

Jepson sat down again suddenly and unwound his neck-scarf. The Angel
does look gentle.

"I didn't think--" he began and stopped, but Aubrey helped him out.

"You didn't think several things, Mr. Jepson. You didn't think I meant
it when I said I must have heat. You didn't think I meant it when I
wrote you that I would go to a hotel if you didn't give it to me. You
didn't think I would resent your paying no attention to our requests
about cleaning the halls. You didn't think I intended to live in this
apartment to suit my own comfort and convenience and not yours. You
didn't think I could force you to live up to the terms of our lease,