"Excellent, Miss Wisdom; proceed."
"After I'd got a niche at Burnside, I'd take 'Charity House' and remodel it into a Modern Industrial School. I'd have 'designing' taught, in regular classes, by a well-known artist, named Cuthbert Kaye. I'd have agriculture under the instruction of another expert, Frederic Kaye. I'd have a school of scientific cookery—not by you, my Cleena, but by somebody who hates pies and adores oatmeal and et cetera. No, really, I do think the mill folks should understand more about foods and their uses. They'd save so much money and—dyspepsia."
"Hurry up. Where do I come in?"
"At the mercantile college end of the establishment, learned brother. There should be a splendid library, a gymnasium, a swimming pool—"
"A swimming pool on the top of Bareacre knoll!"
"Please don't interrupt, Hal. It's impolite. I'd have it—somewhere. I'd have a paddock full of burros—"
"They're already ordered," cried Archibald, forgetting everything in his enjoyment of her happy face.
"Am I to continue? May I let my fancy riot?"
"Yes, indeed; give thyself full freedom for once."
"Then I'd take beautiful Fairacres, that has been a happy home for generations, and I'd make it a Happy Home, with capital letters. I'd call to it all the tired and ailing mill folks in the country. I'd make its disused studio and book rooms into a hospital, and where father painted his picture of pain, that he destroyed, let all pain be soothed; and all the other big chambers into havens of rest for other girls who, unlike me, have no fathers, nor Uncle Freds, nor Hallams, nor Cousin Archibalds, nor anybody. I'd have Mary Reese trained to be its Little Mother; and Archibald Wingate should be full manager of all, beloved and venerated, reaping the happiness he has himself bestowed; and oh, cousin, if it might be true! and if I were not out of breath! There! have I 'rioted' enough?"