“He is still a member of the church, and they say around town that he is not a bit slicker outside the church than he was when father was his pastor.  He hurt me spiritually at first.  So I wrote to father about it.  Father wrote back that I must be charitable—­must remember that belonging to church couldn’t possibly do Mr. Nesbitt any harm, and for all we knew to the contrary, might be keeping him out of the electric chair every day of his life.  And Mr. Nesbitt couldn’t do the Christians any harm—­the Lord is looking after them.  And those outside who point to the hypocrites inside for excuses would have to think up something new and original if we eliminated the hypocrites on their account,—­’so be generous, Connie,’ wrote father, ’and don’t begrudge Mr. Nesbitt the third seat to the left for he may never get any nearer Paradise than that.’

“Father is just splendid, Carol.  I keep feeling that the rest of you don’t realize it as hard as I do, but you will laugh at that.

“Mr. Nesbitt likes me, but he has—­well, he has what a minister should call a ‘bad disposition.’  I’ll tell you more about it in German when I meet you.  German is the only language I know that can do him justice.

“I have been in trouble of one kind or another ever since I got here.  Mr. Nesbitt owns a lot of houses around town, and we have charge of their rental.  One day he gave me the address of one of his most tumble down shacks, and promised me a bonus of five dollars if I rented it for fifteen dollars a month on a year’s lease.  About ten days later, sure enough I rented it, family to take possession immediately.  Mr. Nesbitt was out of town, so I took the rent in advance, turned over the keys, and proceeded to spend the five dollars.  I learned that system of frenzied finance from you twins in the old days in the parsonage.

“Next morning, full of pride, I told Mr. Nesbitt about it.

“‘Rented 800 Stout,’ he roared.  ’Why, I rented it myself,—­a three years’ lease at eighteen a month,—­move in next Monday.’

“‘Mercy,’ says I.  ‘My family paid a month in advance.’

“‘So did mine.’

“‘My family is already in,’ says I. That was a clincher.

“He raved and he roared, and said I got them in and I could get them out.  But when he grew rational and raised my bonus to ten dollars, I said I would do my best.  He agreed to refund the month’s rent, to pay the moving expenses both in and out, to take over their five dollar deposit for electric lights, and to pay the electric and gas bill outstanding, which wouldn’t be much for two or three days.

“So off marches the business baby to the conflict.

“They didn’t like it a bit, and talked very crossly indeed, and said perfectly horrible, but quite true, things about Messrs. Nesbitt and Orchard.  But finally they said they would move out, only they must have until Friday to find a new house.  They would move out on Saturday, and leave the keys at the office.