“My Gawd, what class!” she cried blankly. “Nat, is she worth a million dollars—on the level?”
Nathan laughed. That was the only feature of the forthcoming alliance to mar his perfect happiness. Madelaine was worth a million dollars. It was awkward.
“I guess so,” he responded carelessly.
“You guess so! My Gawd, don’t you know? I should think that’d be the first thing——”
“I’ll have to go back and stay with Madelaine,” the brother interrupted. “Come down as soon as you’re ready.” He counted out money. “Take this, mother. And to-morrow morning buy yourself something out of the ordinary for clothes. Please! I wish it!”
When he had gone, Edith flounced down on the bed, discovered the resiliency of the springs, and bobbed up and down, testing them.
“She’s a cuckoo, Ma!” declared the daughter, anent Madelaine. “But I bet a hat right now there ain’t goin’ to be much family visitin’ back and forth! Lord, if she ever come into my shack, and Joe and all the kids piled in to give her the once-over, somebody’d have to stick their feet out the window to leave room to breathe. She’d take more gorgeous space than all the rest of us put together, includin’ a wardrobe trunk!”
“I think she’s a dear,” announced Mrs. Forge. “She’s so democratic.”
“I’d give ten dollars to know what she sees in Nat, though. Huh! It warn’t so awful long ago we was all takin’ Saturday night baths up in Paris and undressin’ together in the kitchen because the upstairs rooms was cold. A million bucks! Can you beat it, Ma! Wonder how much her hat cost?”
They went down into the Worthy dining room. Madelaine chose a table beside a north window. Mrs. Forge and Edith promptly put on their “manners.”