"Why no, that is the reason I can't divine why he is bringing him up here. I believe Zebedee likes him well enough--at least I never heard him say anything to the contrary. There is no harm in the dude that I ever heard of. Of course he is the Lord High Muck-a-Muck with the buds. He decides which ones are to ornament society and which ones to be picked for funerals. He has already looked over Dum and me at a hop last Thanksgiving at the Jefferson; Page, too. I believe he thinks we'll do, at least he danced us around and wrote on our back with invisible chalk: 'Passed by the Censor of Society.' I believe he thinks a lot of Zebedee, but then everyone does who has even a glimmering of sense," and Dee reread her father's letter, a joint one for her and her sister, with a postscript for Page. "Well, all he says is that he is coming and going to bring the immaculate Hi and we must behave," declared Dum, reading over Dee's shoulder. "I don't know whether I am going to behave or not. That Mr. Parker gets on my nerves. He's too clean, somehow. I'm mighty afraid I'm going to roll him down the mountain." "Mis' Carter is fixin' up a lot for the gent," said Susan, who had been busily engaged with her wash tub while the girls were talking, "if it's Mr. Hiram G. Parker you is a-speakin' of. She done say he is a very high-up pusson. I do believe it was all on account of him that she done made Miss Douglas look after her hide so keerful this week." "Why, does mother know he is coming up?" asked Helen. "She never told me. Nan, did you know he was coming?" Nan hadn't known, but she had a great light break on her mind when she heard that her mother knew he was to come: Mr. Tucker had certainly used this visit of Mr. Parker's to persuade her mother to give up the trip to White Sulphur. "No! I never heard a word of it," Nan answered sedately but her eyes were dancing and it was with difficulty that she restrained a giggle.