The next morning while Aubrey was down-town the president of the real estate company called.
"Now, Mrs. Jardine," he said, "I just thought I would drop in while your husband was away to discuss this little difficulty in a friendly way and see if you and I couldn't come to some arrangement by which both parties will be satisfied."
"Yes?" I said.
"You see, Mrs. Jardine, you as a lady will realize that your husband took a very high-handed way,—in fact, I may say it was the most high-handed proceeding I have ever heard of in all my business career."
"Yes? I suppose it must have astonished you as much as it amazed us to discover that we were to be heated by date instead of by temperature."
"Er—er well! Of course, you didn't know, but you must understand that that rule obtains among all agents in New York."
"So we heard," I said, indifferently.
"You know that?"
"Oh, certainly."
"Did you know what method Mr. Jardine was about to pursue to force us to heat your apartment before any one else asked for heat?"