’Because your arm’s so bad, you aren’t sleeping, you won’t take anything or do anything, or let any one else do anything for you. You’re making me perfectly miserable, and as for Sam, you’ve been absolutely rotten to him all the week.’ ’I told Brown to keep every one out of my room when I’d got a "go" on, and he let you in on Saturday.’ ’Yes, but Ross,’ I said, ’how could he keep me out?’ ’He’d had his orders. I can’t be responsible for any difficulties that may occur in the carrying of them out,’ said Ross obstinately. ’You are hard,’ I said. ’Scold away,’ grinned Ross. ’No, but you are; you’ve simply looked through Brown and locked your door, and been cold to me for days.’ ’Can’t stand disobedience in a soldier,’ said Ross, shortly, ’never could.’ ’Nor in a sister, Ross?’ But there was no reply. ’Ross,’ I exclaimed suddenly, desiring an armistice, ’I’m sorry. I won’t come in again, only, if you knew how I worry about you, you’d let me. But,’ I added, ’I thought when we embarked on this conversation, that I was rowing you.’ ’I haven’t said a word,’ protested Ross. ’No, I know you haven’t, but conscience makes the head uneasy when it wears a crown.’ ’Are you feverish, darling?’ said Ross anxiously. ’No, but I get quotations mixed at times. Will you forgive me?’ I said childishly. So we smoked the pipe of peace with great contentment, smoked the calumet, the peace pipe, and I said, ’My brother, listen,— "See the smoke rise slowly, slowly, First a single line of darkness, Then a denser, bluer vapour, Then a snow-white cloud unfolding, Like the tree tops of the forest. Ever rising, rising, rising, Till it touched the top of heaven," Till it broke against the ceiling, Till I sneezed.’ ’Meg, I’m sure you’re feverish.’ ’I’m not.’ ’Well, the only thing I’ve understood that you’ve said lately was the sneeze.’ ’And that,’ I observed with pride, ’was the original bit. I always felt I could be a poet if I tried. Now I’m going to finish rowing you.’ ’But I thought we’d smoked the pipe of peace, Meg.’ ’Oh, that——’ I said. ’How like a woman. Fire away, then, and get it off your chest.’ So I fired away and got off all the wrongs of days. ’If you weren’t so small,’ said Ross, when at last he got a word in, ’I shouldn’t feel so inclined to bully you.’ ’But that’s an awful thing to say. Why, you never ought to hit a man who’s smaller than yourself.’ ’Looks as if my moral nature is decaying and I seem to be a fair and average all-round beast,’ said Ross, with gloom. ’I didn’t mean to hurt you, darling. Sorry, little ’un. I’ll try to be different,’ he promised, as he used when he was naughty as a boy. ’Have some coffee, Meg? Brown put some in my thermy.’ ’Yes. I will if you will,’ and because my brother was ’trying to be different’ he took a cup himself. ’Well, it’s time you went to sleep,’ remarked the giant, and got up to go.