"I beg your pardon," said Nora with bitter irony; "I didn't know it was a general servant you wanted. You spend a dollar and a half on a marriage license and then you don't have to pay any wages. It's a good investment." For the first time she seemed to have pierced the enemy's armor. "You've got a sharp tongue in your head for a girl, Nora." "Please don't call me Nora." "Don't be so silly, Nora," said her brother with a trace of irritation. "It's the custom of the country. Why, they all call me Ed." "I don't care what the custom of the country is. I'm not going to be called Nora by the hired man!" "Don't you bother, Ed," said Frank, apparently once more restored to his normal placidity; "I'll call her Miss Marsh if she likes it better." But Nora was not to be pacified. He wouldn't have dared take such a liberty with her had he not been on the eve of going away for good, she told herself. It was a last shot from a retreating enemy. Well and good. He should hear, if for the last time, what she thought of him! "I should like to see you married to someone who'd give you what you deserved. I'd like to see your pride humbled. You think yourself very high and mighty, don't you? I'd like to see a woman take you by the heartstrings and wring them till you screamed with pain." "Oh, Nora, how violent you are!" said Ed. "You're overbearing, supercilious and egotistic," went on Nora bitingly. "I'm not sure as I know what them long words means, but I guess they ain't exactly complimentary." "I guess they ain't," she mimicked. "I'm sorry for that." Taylor straightened himself a little in his chair. His blue eyes seemed to have caught a little of the light from Nora's. "I was thinking of offering you the position before I went to the employment agency." "How dare you speak to me like that!" "Don't fly into a temper, Nora," said Ed. While he didn't blame Frank, he wished he had not made that last speech. Why didn't he go and get ready for town? Here was Nora all upset again just as things had calmed down a bit! "He's got no right to say impudent things to me!" "Don't you see he's only having a joke with you?" he said soothingly. "He shouldn't joke. He's got no sense of humor." She made a furious gesture, and the cup she was in the act of wiping flew out of her hand, crashing in a thousand pieces on the floor, just as Gertie returned. "Butter fingers!" "I'm so sorry," said Nora in a colorless tone. She was raging inwardly at having allowed that beast of a man to put her in such a temper. Why couldn't she control herself? How undignified to bandy words with a person she so despised. It was hardly the moment for Gertie to take her to task for carelessness. But Gertie was not the person to consider other moods than her own. "You clumsy thing! You're always doing something wrong." "Oh, don't worry; I'll pay for it."