He found it delicious
to have the placid Priscilla finish her interrupted nap in his
arms, and enjoyed his sons' comments as they came and went.
Neither husband nor wife spoke much of the fire, but a rather gay
conversation was carried on and there was much philosophical
laughter of the sort that such an occasion always breeds.
"I might know that you would save that statue, Jack," said Bert to
one of the young Underhills. "We've been trying to break that for
eleven years!"
"If that's the case," the youth said solemnly, and Nancy's old
happy laugh rang out as he flung the plaster Psyche in a smother
of white fragments against the chimney.
"I suppose it would be only decent for me to get started at
something," she said, after a while. "It seems senseless to sit
here and merely watch--"
"For pity's sake sit still if you can," old Mrs. Underbill said
affectionately. "The fire company's going, and people are all
leaving now, anyway. And we've got to go, too, but Joe will be
over again later--to bring you back with us. Just try to keep
calm, Nancy, and don't worry!"
Worry? Nancy knew that she had not been so free from actual worry
for a long, long time.
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