The Merle twin at this looked across at him with marked disfavour.

“Nonsense!” said Miss Juliana.

“Nonsense!” said Sharon Whipple.

“Take it, of course!” said Gideon Whipple.

“He’s earned it fairly,” said Juliana.  She turned to Merle.  “Give it to him,” she directed.

This was not as Merle would have wished.  If the money had been earned he was still willing to take care of it, wasn’t he?

“A beggarly pittance for what he did,” said Gideon Whipple, warmly.

“Wouldn’t do it myself for twice the amount, whatever it is,” said Sharon.

Very slowly, under the Whipple regard, the Merle twin poured the price of his brother’s shame into his brother’s cupped hands.  The brother felt religious at this moment.  He remembered seriously those things they told you in Sunday-school—­about a power above that watches over us and makes all come right.  There must be something in that talk.

The fiscal transaction was completed.  The twins looked up to become aware that their late confederate surveyed them from the doorway.  Her eyes hinted of a recent stormy past, but once more she was decorously apparelled.

“Your little guests are leaving,” said the stepmother.  “You must bid them good-bye.”

Her little guests became statues as the girl approached them.

“So glad you could come,” she said, and ceremoniously shook the hand of each.  The twins wielded arms rigid from the shoulder, shaking twice down and twice up.  “It has been so pleasant to have you,” said the girl.

“We’ve had a delightful time,” said the Merle twin.

The other tried to echo this, but again his teeth were tightly locked, and he made but a meaningless squeak far back in his throat.  He used this for the beginning of a cough, which he finished with a decent aplomb.

“You must come again,” said the girl, mechanically.

“We shall be so glad to,” replied the Merle twin, glancing a bright farewell to the group.

The other twin was unable to glance intelligently at any one.  His eyes were now glazed.  He stumbled against his well-mannered brother and heavily descended the steps.

“You earned your money!” called Sharon Whipple.

The Wilbur twin was in advance, and stayed so as they trudged down the roadway to the big gate.  With his first free breath he had felt his importance as the lawful possessor of limitless wealth.

“Bright little skeesicks,” said Sharon Whipple.

“But the brother is really remarkable,” said Gideon—­“so well-mannered, so sure of himself.  He has quite a personality.”

“Other has the gumption,” declared Sharon.

“I’ve decided to have one of them for my brother,” announced the girl.

“Indeed?” said Gideon.

“Well, everybody said I might have a brother, but nobody does anything about it.  I will have one of those.  I think the nice one that doesn’t smoke.”