Page:A strange, sad comedy (IA strangesadcomedy00seawiala).pdf/52

40 minded him that my father and my grandfather had been in the wine-importing line, and I had been born and bred to the wine business."

By this time Farebrother's light-blue expressive eyes were dancing, and Letty fully took in the joke.

"The descendants of the dealers in tobacco, drugs, and hardware, who were sitting around, were naturally much pained at my admission, but Sir Archy was n't, and actually gave in to my opinion. He stuck to me so close—now, Miss Corbin, I swear I am not lying—that I could n't shake him off, and he walked home with me. Of course I had to ask him in, and then the girls came out; they could n't have been kept away from him unless they had been tied, and he has pervaded the house more or less ever since. That is how it is that the noble house of Corbin is to-day accepting the hospitality of the humble house of Farebrother."

"Very kind of us, I 'm sure," said Letty, gravely, "but I'd feel more important if I had more clothes. You can't imagine how fine my wardrobe seemed down in Virginia, and here I feel as if I had n't a rag to my back."