Mrs. Lear looked a trifle stunned.
“At best the place isn’t worth five hundred,” Mr. Burmaster resumed. “But I aim to be generous.”
“I won’t sell,” Mrs. Lear said firmly. “Not at any price. Them’s my final words.”
Mr. Burmaster had kept his voice carefully controlled but the old lady’s decision angered him.
“You’ll regret this!” he said in a harsh tone. “I’ve been very patient but I warn you! From now on I shall act in my own interests.”
“Have you ever acted in any other?” drawled a voice from behind the estate owner.
Everyone turned quickly. Joe Quigley, the young station agent, stood framed in the open doorway. Smiling at Burmaster in a grim way, he came slowly into the kitchen.
CHAPTER
9
STRAIGHT FROM THE SHOULDER
A silence had fallen upon those in the room. Joe Quigley shook rain drops from his overcoat. Deliberately he took his time hanging the coat over a chair in front of the cook stove. Then, still smiling in an ironic way, he faced Burmaster.
“I repeat,” he challenged, “did you ever act in any manner except for your own interest?”