“My dear, you have only been crippled for half-an-hour at present,” she observed. “It is a great bore, but if only you will take a good hot bath to-night, and have a very light dinner, I expect you will be much better in the morning. Parker, tell them to see that there is plenty of hot water in the kitchen boiler.”
“It’ll be the only warm thing in the house, if there is,” said he. “My room was like an ice-house when I came in. Positively like an ice-house. Enough to give a man pneumonia, let alone lumbago. Soup cold, too.”
“My dear, you should take more care of yourself,” said Mrs. Ames placidly. “Why did you not light the fire instead of being cold? I’m sure it was laid.”
“And have it just burning up at dinner-time,” said he, “when I no longer wanted it.”
It was still early in the cou
