"And what are you going to do about it?" demanded Mrs. Conant.
"I am endeavoring to gain information from my wife."
"Very well. What does he mean by 'a modest price'? The Pelton place is expensive. The rent is sixty dollars a month, while a comfortable house like that of the Widow Harrington rents for fifteen dollars, with good, solid furniture."
"Is Mrs. Harrington's house for rent?" he asked.
"Yes. She'll go to live with her married daughter as soon as she can find a tenant. The poor creature needs the money, and her house is just around the corner from here and her back yard backs up to the Colonel's back yard. Now, the Pelton place is two blocks from here, and the Peltons don't need the money, because they're already too rich and aristocratic to live in Dorfield any longer."
"H-m-m!" murmured Mr. Conant. "It occurs to me that a friend of Colonel Hathaway might desire a more luxurious home than that of the Widow Harrington."
"Doesn't the telegram say 'a modest price'?"
"It does. I'll quote both places and let the man Jones take his choice. And how about the female servant, Hannah?"
"Leave that to me; I can hire plenty. But if Mr. Jason Jones takes the Pelton place he will want one kind of a servant, and if he takes Mrs. Harrington's house he'll want a different sort."
He gazed at her admiringly and passed his cup again, saying: