"You don't mean that--you can't mean it?"
"Why not?"
"Because you're a man! Oh, I should have been the man of our
family--and Barry and Constance should have been the girls." Her eyes
blazed.
"You think then, as I heard you say the other night on the stairs, that
the world is ours; yet we men let it stand still."
Her head went up. "Yes. Perhaps you do have to fight for what you
get. But I'd rather die fighting than smothered."
He laughed a good boyish laugh. "Does Barry know that you feel that
way?"
"I'm afraid," penitently, "that I make him feel it, sometimes. And he
doesn't know that it is because I care so much. That it is because I
want him to be like--father."
He smiled into her misty eyes. "Perhaps if you weren't so militant--in
your methods----"
"Oh, that's the trouble with Barry. Everybody's too good to him. And
when I try to counteract it, Barry says that I nag. But he doesn't
understand."
Her voice broke, and by some subtle intuition he was aware that her
burden was heavier than she was willing to admit.
She stood up and held out her hand. "Thank you so much--for letting me
talk to you."
He took her hand and stood looking down at her.
"Will you remember that always--when you need to talk things out--that
the Tower Room--is waiting?"
And now there were steps dancing up the stairs, and Barry whirled in
with Little-Lovely Leila.
"Mary," he said, "we are ready to light the tree, and Aunt Frances is
having fits because you aren't down. You know she always has fits when
things are delayed. Poole, you are a selfish hermit to stay off up
here with a tree of your own."
Roger, who had stepped forward to speak to Leila, shook his head. "I
don't deserve to be invited. And you're all too good to me."
"Oh, but we're not," Leila spoke in her pretty childish way; "we'd love
to have you down. Everybody's just crazy about you, Mr. Poole."
They shouted at that.
"Leila," Barry demanded, "are you crazy about him? Tell me now and get
the agony over."
Leila, tilting herself on her pink slipper toes almost crowed with
delight at his teasing: "I said, everybody----"
Barry advanced to where she stood in the doorway.
"Leila Dick," he announced, "you're under the mistletoe, and you can't
escape, and I'm going to kiss you. It's my ancient and hereditary
privilege--isn't it, Poole? It's my ancient and hereditary privilege,"
he repeated, and now he was bending over her.