"Mr. Brainard," she began, in her smiling, direct manner, with a touch
of brisk commonplace in it which helped relieve the tension, "I want
to apologize to you for the way I treated you late this afternoon. As
I said, I've just had a talk with Dick and he's told me everything--
except some things we may all have to tell each other later. I was
entirely in the wrong, and you were entirely in the right. And the way
you've handled things seems to have given Dick just that shock which
you said he needed to awaken him to be the man it's in him to be. I'm
sure we all congratulate you."
She gave Larry no chance to respond. She knew the danger, in such an
emotional crisis as this, of any let-up. So she went right on in her
brisk tone of ingratiating authority.
"I guess we've all been through too much to talk. You are all coming
right home with me. Mr. Brainard and Mr. Ellison live there, I'm their
boss, and they've got to come. And you've got to come, Miss Ellison,
if you don't want to offend me. I won't take 'no.' Besides, your place
is near your father. Wear what you have on; in a half a minute you can
put enough in a bag to last until to-morrow. To-morrow we'll send in
for the rest of your things--whatever you want--and send a note to
your Miss Grierson, paying her off.
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