“Oh, but, Peter,—­please leave it till the sale is over.  It draws people to look at it, and then they’ll come in,” Ruby said, while others of the ladies joined their entreaties with hers.

But Peter was firm.  He had bought the doll house and paid for it.  It was his, and in spite of the protests of the entire committee which gathered round him like a swarm of bees he took it away, and an hour later it was safely deposited in the Colonel’s room without Amy’s knowledge.  The Colonel was delighted.

“Bring it close up,” he said, “but first take off that infernal card that it belonged to ‘Mrs. Amy Crompton Smith.’  That’s the way they’d marked my trousers!  Give me Mandy Ann and Judy.  I haven’t seen them in more than twenty years,—­yes, nearer thirty.  Upon my soul they wear well, especially the old lady.  She was never very handsome, but Amy liked her best,” he said, laughing a little as Peter put Judy in his lap.

He did not know that he had ever touched her before, and he held her between his thumb and finger, with something which felt like a swelling in his throat,—­not for Judy, nor for Amy, but for poor Dory, thoughts of whom were haunting him these days with a persistency he could not shake off.

“What did you give?” he asked, and Peter replied.  “Five dollars,—­just what it was marked.”

“Five dollars!  Heavens and earth!” and Judy fell to the floor, while the Colonel grasped his knees with his hands and sat staring at Peter.  “Five dollars!  Are you an idiot, and have none of them common sense?” he asked, and Peter replied, “That was the price, and I didn’t like to beat them down.”

Ruby Ann isn’t easy to tackle, and Mrs. Biggs was there with her gab, if she is my niece, and said I got it dirt cheap.”

“Go to thunder with your Ruby Ann and Mrs. Biggs and dirt cheap!” the Colonel roared.  “Who said I wanted you to beat ’em down?  Why, man, I told you I gave thirty for the house and five for Mandy Ann, and here they have sold the whole caboodle, Judy and all, for five dollars!  Five dollars!  Do you hear?  Five dollars, for what cost thirty-five!  I consider they’ve insulted Mandy Ann and Judy both.  Five dollars!  I’ll be—­”

He didn’t finish his sentence, for he heard Amy’s voice in the hall.  She might be coming, and he said hastily to Peter, “Put them in the closet.  Don’t let her see them, or there’ll be the old Harry to pay.”

Peter obeyed, but Amy did not come in, and after a moment the Colonel continued, “We will keep them here a while.  I dare say she’ll never think of them again.  She doesn’t think much.  Do you believe she will ever be any better?”

The Colonel’s voice shook as he asked the question, and Peter’s shook a little as he replied, “Please God she may.  A great shock of some kind might do it.”

“Yes, but where is the shock to come from, hedged round as she is from every rough wind or care?” the Colonel said, little thinking with what strides the shock was hastening on, or through what channel it was to come.