Peter pursued his quest no further for a few moments, being interested in Eli in the outer room. He drummed with his fingers on one arm of the chair, then rubbed his fat hands together. Peter then turned to Mike, as Mike said:
"I want to know, Mr. Dieman, what your gang intends doing?"
"One thousand more per month," was Peter's reply.
"That means two thousand for our house, does it?"
"If I figure right, it does."
"Then, you can go—to—h——!" returned Mike, rising to depart.
"Five hundred will do this time," said Peter, now feeling inclined to be decent in such a deal.
"Go to——" responded Mike, looking back at Peter over his shoulder, as he turned to go out the door.
"Set down, boy, and be respectable," said Peter in a mollifying tone. "Anything new, Mike?"
"Nothing unusual, only I hear that my sister left home today for a finer home in the East End."