Page:Middle Aged Love Stories (IA middleagedlove00bacorich).djvu/198

 all. Just as I get thoroughly settled down to flowers in the drawing-room, and rabbits in a chafing-dish, and people for dinner, you skip off. Why don’t you bring the children here? What did you marry into the navy for, anyway? Nagasaki! I wouldn’t live in a place called Nagasaki for all that money could buy!”

“You’re cross,” said Mrs. Dick placidly. “Please get off that bath-wrapper. If you don’t like to live alone— Six bath-towels, Dick’s shoe-bag, my old muff (I hope and pray I’ll remember that!) Helen’s reefer— Why don’t you marry?”

“Marry? Marry! Are you out of your mind, Dosia? I marry!”

The colonel twisted his grayish mustache into points; a look of horror spread over his countenance.

“Men have done it,” she replied seriously, “and lived. Look at Dick.”

“Look at him? But how? Who