They never washed the dishes in the evenings now, because, Mother getting her breakfast downtown, it was no matter how the kitchen looked in the morning. Henry and Helen piled them on the new wheeled tray which Mr. Willing had so kindly sent up, pushed that into the kitchen and put them to soak, while Father and Mother got Stevie to bed and lighted the little bedside candle, at which Stephen loved to stare himself to sleep.
Then they hurried into the living-room for the evening rubber of whist. Mother’s luck was especially good that evening, a fact in which they all took an innocent satisfaction. Mother liked it when her luck was good.
Then, all of a sudden, the opening was there, and Father was taking advantage of it in a masterful way. Mother said something about the two little Willing girls who had been down at the store that day with their dog, and Father put in at once, “By the way, Eva, old Mrs. Hennessy wants to give Henry one of a litter of puppies her dog has. What would you say? It’s spring-time. It could be out of doors mostly.” (How they admired him for being able to speak so casually. “By the way, Eva....” He was wonderful. Under the table Helen’s hand squeezed Henry’s hard.)
Mrs. Knapp still had before her eyes the picture of the two fashionably dressed children and their fashionably accoutred dog with his studded collar and harness and the bright tan braided leather of his leash. She had never thought of dogs in terms of smartness before. “He’d make a lot of trouble for you,” she said, looking over at her husband.
“Oh, I’d manage all right. I like dogs,” said Lester carelessly.
“You’d have to promise, Henry, to keep him out of this room. I don’t want dog-hairs all over everything.” (It was the old formula, but not pronounced with the old conviction. After all she would not be there to see. She was often surprised that she worried so little about the looks of the house nowadays.)
“Oh, I’d never let him in here,” promised Henry in a strangled voice.
“Well ...” said his mother. She looked down at the cards in her hand.
There was a silence.
“Who took that last trick?” she asked.