and-spanishness after the house-cleaning, and the flowers out in the parlour—'living-room' I suppose you want me to call it, if I just got to be fashionable—I been so busy studying over all this so-and-so, I declare I never noticed you till this minute! My, but you are all dressed up! What's goin' on? What's it about: you so all dressed up, and flowers in the parlour and everything?"
"Don't you see, papa? It's in honour of your coming downstairs again, of course."
"Oh, so that's it," he said. "I never would 'a' thought of that, I guess."
But Walter looked sidelong at his father, and gave forth his sly and knowing laugh. "Neither would I!" he said.
Adams lifted his eyebrows jocosely. "You're jealous, are you, sonny? You don't want the old man to think our young lady'd make so much fuss over him, do you?"
"Go on thinkin' it's over you," Walter retorted, amused. "Go on and think it. It'll do you good."
"Of course I'll think it," Adams said. "It isn't anybody's birthday. Certainly the decorations are on account of me coming downstairs. Didn't you hear Alice say so?"
