"But I understand, sir!" She arose. She extended her
hand and when he took it she put into her clasp of his fingers what she
did not presume to say in words.
"Thank you!" said Morrison.
Then he left his chair and strolled across to the old men, while Miss
Bunker rattled her typewriter. "It begins to look, boys, like we're going
to have quite a large evening!" he remarked, sociably.
IV
ANSWERING THE FIRST ALARM
After his dinner with his mother, Stewart went to the library-den, his own
room, the habitat consecrated to the males of the Morrison menage. He was
in formal garb for the reception at Senator Corson's. He removed and hung
up his dress-coat and pulled on his house-jacket; he was prompted to make
this precautionary change by a woolen man's innate respect for honest
goods as much as he was by his desire for homely comfort when he smoked.
He lighted a jimmy-pipe and marched up and down the room. He was
determined to give the situation a good going-over in his mind.
He had settled many a problem in that old room!
He was always helped by Grandfather Angus and Father David.
When he walked in one direction he was looking at the portrait of Angus on
the end wall of the long narrow room; Angus bored him with eyes as hard as
steel buttons and out from the close-set lips seemed to issue many an
aphorism to put the grit into a man.
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