"Oh, very well. That's all I wish to know about it. The rooms were rented to me, and from that day became mine. Please to inform the lady and her husband that I am here with my family, and desire them to vacate the chambers as quickly as possible. I'm a man that knows his rights, and, knowing, always maintains them." "You cannot have the rooms, sir. That is out of the question," said Mrs. Darlington, looking both distressed and indignant. "And I tell you that I will have them!" replied Scragg, angrily. "Peter! Peter! Don't act so," now interposed Mrs. Scragg. "There's no use in it." "Ain't there, indeed? We'll see. Madam"--he addressed Mrs. Darlington--"will you be kind enough to inform the lady and gentleman who now occupy one of our rooms"-- "Mr. Scragg!" said Mrs. Darlington, in whose fainting heart his outrageous conduct had awakened something of the right spirit--"Mr. Scragg, I wish you to understand, once for all, that the front room is taken and now occupied, and that you cannot have it." "Madam!" "It's no use for you to waste words, sir! What I say I mean. I have other rooms in the house very nearly as good, and am willing to take you for something less in consideration of this disappointment. If that will meet your views, well; if not, let us have no more words on the subject." There was a certain something in Mrs. Darlington's tone of voice that Scragg understood to mean a fixed purpose. Moreover, his mind caught at the idea of getting boarded for something less than sixteen dollars a week. "Where are the rooms?" he asked gruffly. "The third story chambers." "Front?" "Yes." "I don't want to go to the third story." "Very well. Then you can have the back chamber down stairs, and the front chamber above." "What will be your charge?" "Fourteen dollars." "That will do, Peter," said Mrs. Scragg. "Two dollars a week is considerable abatement." "It's something, of course. But I don't like this off and on kind of business. When I make an agreement, I'm up to the mark, and expect the same from everybody else. Will you let my wife see the rooms, madam?" "Certainly," replied Mrs. Darlington, and moved towards the door. Mrs. Scragg followed, and so did all the juvenile Scraggs--the latter springing up the stairs with the agility of apes and the noise of a dozen rude schoolboys just freed from the terror of rod and ferule. The rooms suited Mrs. Scragg very well--at least such was her report to her husband--and, after some further rudeness on the part of Mr. Scragg, and an effort to beat Mrs. Darlington down to twelve dollars a week, were taken, and forthwith occupied. CHAPTER IV.