"Its confounded dilapidation," said the prospective tenant.
"Its boxwood garden, its splendid lawns, its stables, accommodating twenty-five horses—"
"Yes, if they don't lean up against the sides."
Reed frowned.
"If," he remarked with a touch of pride, "you do not want the house—"
The young man of the motor car laughed good-temperedly.
"I thought we had settled all that last week," he said. "I do want the house; I do appreciate its beauties; I do not consider it in good repair, and I continue to think that the price for six weeks is very high. Have the owners come down?"
Reed frowned again.
"I thought I made it clear, on my part," he answered, "that Mr. and Mrs. Revelly are beyond the reach of communication. They are on their way to Madeira. Before they left they set the price on their house, and I can only follow their instructions. Their children—there are four children—"
"Good heavens, I don't have to rent them with the house, do I?" exclaimed the other frivolously.