"I have spoken nothing but the truth, and you won't squeeze anything more out of me," she said.
"When a fellow stays in lodgings," said George, "he must either read novels or go mad. I have been reading a quantity of novels, and they convinced me that women are deceitful beings."
"They have to protect themselves against the perfidy of men," cried Nellie.
"Remember poor innocent Adam! He was all right as long as he was engaged to Eve; but what happened when he married her?"
"It's a shame that story was ever invented."
"He wouldn't have eaten the apples; peaches and bananas were good enough for him," George continued.
"But the serpent started it, and the serpent was the devil in disguise, and the devil is a fallen angel, and all angels, as you told me once, are gentlemen. So the male sex is the most deceitful after all."
"Why can't you stick to the subject?" said George sourly.
"Certainly," laughed Nellie. "This business about the furniture must be settled finally one way or the other. Are the Mudges to have anything, and, if not, how are they to be prevented from taking just what they want?"
"Robert and Bessie are not to take a stick from the house, or a stone from the garden; and they must give back the things they have stolen," replied George.
"Are those scraps of paper worth anything at all?" she demanded.
"They are as useless as agreements between nations."
"I am quite positive; but how can I be responsible for judicial errors? Kezia may put her case into the hands of some shady lawyer--worse even than Hunter--and some stupid court may make a mistake in her favour. Kezia is going with you, so there will be no trouble with her while Aunt Sophy lives."
"But it's not fair to keep her in ignorance."
"Oh, I can't argue with you. Will you answer one question properly?"
"How are we to rescue the furniture from the Mudges?"
"If they don't know you are going to move, and have no suspicions," began George.
"Then you can leave it to me," said George.
Miss Yard shuffled contentedly downstairs, nicely dressed for her evening meal, which usually consisted of thin soup, a milk pudding, and boiling water; peeped into the parlour, drew a deep breath and peeped again, uttered a few exclamations, then shuffled back to the stairs, called Nellie, and announced: