“Oh Sargent, Sargent! When all she has to do is to subscribe to 'Town and Country.' Or call up the number you gave her, some time, and ask where it is.” “There are the strictest orders about nobody but myself ever answering the telephones in my private office.” “And servants are always perfectly obedient--and there are no stupid ones--and accidents never happen. Sargent, really--” “That doesn't matter. I didn't come here to talk about Elizabeth.” “Really? I should think you might have. I could have given you all the information you required a good deal less expensively--and now, I suppose, I'll have to think up some way of getting rid of Elizabeth as well. I can't pay her off with one of my new dresses this time--” “_Who is he?_” “Suppose we start talking about it from the beginning, Sargent--?” “_Where_ is he?” “In the dining-room, I imagine. It wouldn't be very well bred of anyone, would it, to come out and be introduced in the middle of this very loud, very vulgar quarrel that you are making with me--” “I'm going to see.” “No, Sargent.” “Let me pass, Rose!” “I will not. Sargent, I will not let you make an absolute fool of yourself before my friends before you give me a chance to explain--” “I will, I tell you! I will! _Let me go!_” They were struggling undignifiedly in the center of the room, her firm strong hands tight over his wrists as he pawed at her, trying to wrench himself away. Mr. Piper was a gentleman no longer--nor a business man--nor a figure of nation-wide importance--he was only a small furious figure with a face as grey and distorted as a fighting ape's who was clutching at the woman in front of him as if he would like to tear her with his hands. A red swimming had fallen over his eyes--all he knew was that the woman-person in front of him had fooled him more bitterly and commonly than anyone had been fooled since Adam--and that if he could not get loose in some way or other from the hateful strength that was holding him, he would burst into the disgusting tears of a vicious small boy who is being firmly held down and spanked by an older girl. Grammar, manners and sense had gone from him as completely as if he had never possessed them. “Lemme go! oh damn you, damn you--you _woman_--you _devil--lemme_ go!” “Be _quiet,_ Sargent! Oh shut up, you _fool, shut up!”_ A noise came from the kitchen--a noise like the sound of a man falling over boxes. Mr. Piper struggled furiously--Paris was crawling out of the window--Paris, the sleek, sly chamberer, the gay hateful cuckoo of his private nest was getting away! Mrs. Severance turned her head toward the noise a second. Mr. Piper fought like a crippled wrestler. “Grr-ah! Ah, would you, would you?” He had wrenched one hand free for an instant--it went to his pocket and came out of it with something that shone and was hard like a new metal toy.