"Just that bad, little Miss Forgiveness," Dicky returned, smiling at me tenderly.
My heart leaped at the words. When Dicky is in good humor he coins all sorts of tender names for me. I knew that to Dicky our quarrel was as if it had never happened.
"I'll give you a pointer about mother, Madge," Dicky went on. "When you see her, act as if nothing had happened at all, it's the only way to manage her. She can be most charming when she wants to be, but every once in a while she takes one of those silent tantrums, and there is no living with her until she gets over it."
I didn't make any comment on this speech, fearing to say the wrong thing.
"But I didn't start to tell you about Katie." Dicky switched the subject determinedly. "I might as well get it off my chest. When your cousin came in and introduced himself the first thing I did was to attempt to strike him."
"Oh, Dicky, Dicky," I moaned, horrified, "what did he do?"
"Just put out his hand and caught my arm, saying with that calm and quiet voice of his:
"'I shall not return any blow you may give me, Mr. Graham, so please do not do anything you will regret when you recover yourself!'
"I realized his strength of body and the grip he had on my arm and even my half-crazed brain recognized the power of his spirit. I came to, apologized, and we had a long talk that made me realize what a thundering good fellow he must be.
"I don't see why you never fell in love with him," Dicky continued. "He's a better man than I am," he paraphrased half wistfully.
Across Dicky's face there fell a shadow. I realized that thoughtlessly I had wounded him.
"Margaret!" My mother-in-law's tone was almost tragic. "Richard has gone off with my trunk checks."
"Why, of course, he has," I returned, wondering a little at her anxious tone. "I suppose he expects to give them to an expressman and have the trunks brought up this morning."
"Richard never remembered anything in his life," said his mother tartly. "Those trunks ought to be here before I leave for the day."
"Oh, I don't think it would be possible for them to arrive here before we have to start, even if Dicky gives them to an expressman right away, as I am sure he will do."
It seemed queer to be defending Dicky to his mother, but I felt a curious little thrill of resentment that she should criticise him. I sometimes may judge Dicky harshly myself, but I don't care to hear criticism of him from any other lips, even those of his mother.