Part 25 (2/2)

”Couldn't you make them behave, someway?” asked Silvia.

”Well, at first I tried to, and every time I pinched one of 'em when the old gent wasn't looking, or knocked 'em down when I got 'em alone, they would threaten to tell who they was, and then when I seen how your uncle liked the way they acted, I just let 'em go it, head on.

And seeing as how they each brung you five thousand, I've treated 'em best I know how. They're worth it, now. They done one thing more that was awful. Could you stand it to hear?” turning to Silvia.

”Please, Silvia,” implored Rob.

”Well,” argued Silvia faintly. ”I suppose we might as well know the worst.”

”You see the old gent didn't always get up to breakfast with the kids and one morning when I brought in the cakes Emmy looked up and grinned. I nearly dropped the plate. He had both sets of the old man's false teeth in his mouth. I got 'em back in his room without his waking, but I'd have liked a picture of Emmy.”

”Pythagoras,” I demanded, when we had recovered from this recital, ”why didn't you tell him who you were, and how you all came to be here with us?”

”Because she is our mudder, and we are going to stay with her, always.

We've got a snap. So has father and mother. And Ptolemy told us that if you ever got any kids, you'd get five thousand each for them, and I thought we'd just make that much for you. So we played Uncle Iz for it. Easy money, all right, all right.”

”Talk about fine financiering,” quoth Rob. ”'Them Three' will surely land on Wall Street.”

But poor Silvia had no heart for humor and was weeping silently.

”Why, look here, my dear,” I said in consolation, ”this is a very simple matter to adjust. In the morning when you feel better, just write a full explanation of the affair and inclose your check for twenty-five thousand.”

Silvia quickly wiped away her tears.

”I'll do it tonight, Lucien. I feel better now. I never thought of writing.”

Huldah and ”Them Three” looked most lugubrious.

”The old skinflint won't miss it as much as I would a penny,” declared our faithful handmaiden. ”And I'm sure you've earnt that twenty-five thousand if anyone ever did. You've had as much care and worry about them brats as you would if they'd been your own.”

”Huldah,” I said severely, ”there is a pretty stiff penalty for obtaining money under false pretences.”

”After all the pains we took to make things lively for him, so he wouldn't get bored and think he was having a poor time!” regretted Pythagoras.

”And us watching every word we spoke so as not to give it away,”

wailed Emerald.

”Cake's all dough,” muttered Demetrius.

Ptolemy regarded the three disapprovingly. He had the old inscrutable look, the look that foreboded mischief, in his eyes.

”You bungled, you fool kids!” he said in disgust, ”and Huldah, what did you want to let on to mudder for that he thought we was hers? You ought to have torn up the note he left and just said he'd put twenty-five thousand in the bank for her.”

”Huh! you're just jealous because you weren't in the Uncle Izzy deal yourself,” jeered Pythagoras. ”You always think you're the only one that can do anything right.”

”I wish you had been here, Polly,” said Huldah, ”I am sure you could have worked it through somehow.”

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