"Harris, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" I said. "Look at your poor wife just out of bed, and you have lost this good place by this day's work. You and your family will not know where to lay your heads within a week."
"And how do you know that? I'll keep this place as long as I please. I stand in with the agent. I suppose you think because you've been good to the children that you can run me, but let me tell you that you've not done half that you should! So you just shut up and go back where you belong."
Aubrey made a leap for him, but Mrs. Harris threw herself between them and I fastened myself to Aubrey's coat-tails. This was more than I had bargained for.
"No, Aubrey, come. Let us once for all declare our independence. For some time I have suspected that there was collusion between janitors and agents. Now let's get to the bottom of it."
By holding out such a prospect to him, I got the Angel up-stairs, where we poured forth our souls in a letter to the agent.
He called, listened to us with polite incredulity, and said he would hear Harris's side, as if he wished to judge impartially between two criminals.
We held on to ourselves while he consulted the gentleman below stairs.
When he came back he said:
"Harris denies everything. Now who am I to believe?"
For once the Angel rose to the occasion.
"Mr. Jepson, you may believe whom you please if you have no more decency than to put the word of a gentleman against that of a drunken servant. You have violated the terms of our lease, and unless Harris is dismissed inside of a week our apartment is at your disposal."