III

“You’re on,” she says. “And I’ll call up the agent tomorrow and find out.”

Well, it must of been pretty near seven o’clock when Mrs. Garrett finally showed up.

“Good evenin’,” she says. “I suppose this must be our new members. I’m awfully glad you could come and I’m sorry I wasn’t quite ready.”

“That’s all right,” I says. “I’m glad to know they’s others has trouble gettin’ into their evenin’ clo’es. I suppose people that does it often enough finally get to be experts.”

“I didn’t have no trouble,” says Mrs. Garrett; “only I didn’t expect nobody till seven o’clock. You must of misunderstood me and thought I said half past six.”

Then Mr. Garrett come in and shook hands with us, and then the rest o’ the folks begun to arrive and we was introduced to them all. I didn’t catch all their names, only Mr. and Mrs. Messenger and Mr. and Mrs. Collins and a Mr. and Mrs. Sparks. Mrs. Garrett says dinner was ready and I was glad to hear it.

They set me down between Mrs. Messenger and a lady that I didn’t get her name.

“Well,” I says to Mrs. Messenger, “now we know you personally, we can pay the rent direct without botherin’ to go to the real-estate office.”

“I’m afraid that wouldn’t do,” she says. “Our agent’s entitled to his commissions. And besides, I wouldn’t know how much to take or nothin’ about it.”

“We pay thirty-five,” I says, “and that’s all as you could ast for, seein’ we only got the four rooms and no sun parlor. Thirty-two and a half would be about the right price.”