“Don’t be ridiculous, David. You know full well that I am no more particular about tidiness than every other decent woman.”
What monomaniac on the subject of cleanliness ever thought otherwise?
“I insist,” continued Miss Arabella indignantly, “that when one indulges a fad to the extent of disarranging an entire household, under the pretense that it is part of a scientific research, it is time to protest against such proceedings.”
“Oh, I don’t imagine that the entire household has seriously suffered by my investigations in the field of ethnology,” replied the brother still enjoying his sister’s perturbation of mind as she recalled some recent experiences.
“It may be highly amusing to you, David. I hope that you enjoy the joke, but it has been anything but amusing to me and to Bridget, having to clean, rub and air every article of furniture in the house two or three times each week, and it is no laughing matter to freeze while the cold wind blows the disgusting odors left by your guest out of the rooms. Bridget has notified me that she will leave if you continue to make a hostelry for dirty darkies out of the house,” said the sister fairly shivering at the remembrance of the condition in which she had found her spotless premises after a visit of some of her brother’s newly found associates.
“I don’t think that I am the only member of this family that has a hobby, Arabella,” replied Chapman grinning at the flushed little lady.
“I am unaware of what you refer to, David. I certainly have no such uncomfortable idiosyncrasy as a hard ridden hobby.”
“Don’t you think even cleanliness may become a most pestiferous hobby?” queried Chapman with assumed guilelessness.
“Cleanliness and tidiness are but other words for common decency, and can never be classed with the vagaries of a ‘born investigator,’” said the spinster sarcastically, sticking her dictum into her needlework, savagely.
“You doubtless have heard, Arabella, of the woman who possessed so much of what you call ‘common decency’ that she forced her family to live in the barn in order that the dwelling might remain clean and tidy,” answered Chapman, to whom the wrath of Arabella was the greatest pleasure imaginable.