It was Nort's turn to look surprised.
"Why, no," said he. "I don't know the Newtons at all."
"But you must have had some one in mind."
"No," said Nort; "it's just a description of how married people quarrel."
"But it's exactly what the Newtons do," said Harriet.
Here the old Captain broke in.
"Why," said he, "if we printed a thing like that we'd lose all the advertising of Newton's store. We'd lose the whole Newton family, and their cousins, the Maxwells, and their connections, the Mecklins. Why——"
"But it's true, it's true!" Nort burst in. "And every one of you was more interested in it, I could see that, than in anything we ever put in the Star—since I've been here."
With that Nort suddenly jumped up, as though some important thought had just occurred to him, and rushed out of the room.
"Well, I never!" exclaimed Harriet.