“I agree with you,” said Herz. “Simply drawing a design is never so much pleasure as carrying it out. How a sculptor can be willing to do only the clay modeling of his statue and then let someone else carve the marble is more than I can understand. When I think of something to be done, I must do it myself—trust it to no one.”
“Well, I am a lazy bones myself and anyone can do my work,” laughed the count. “Now Adolph here has drawn the plan for a pigeon house and he wants to build it himself. I tell him it is absurd, that any carpenter can carry out his ideas, but he will not listen to me. Adolph is a very stubborn man, Miss Carter.” He addressed this remark to Douglas who smiled at the young secretary. He was frowning heavily and his full lips were drawn into a hard red line. The count caught his eye and gave him a bantering look in return.
“Come on, Adolph, and show Mr. Carter your plans for the pigeon house!”
“They are not completed,” he answered sullenly.
“I am quite a pigeon fancier,” went on the master of Weston. “They are charming birds to raise and one can make much money on squabs. We are going into pigeon raising quite seriously. I think we shall build a very large house. Eh, Adolph?”
“Where will you put the pigeon house?” asked Mr. Carter.
“Right there on the roof, about in the centre of the house,” said the count, pointing to the top of the mansion.
“Not there! Surely you would not do such a thing!” cried Helen incredulously.
“Why not?”
“It would ruin the architectural effect of Weston,” declared Mr. Carter.