Peer pushed him away, and stood staring at him. "Go home now, and go to
bed," he said.
"Ha! You think I'm not man enough to defy my people--to defy the whole
world!"
"Good-night," said Peer.
Next morning, as Louise lay in bed--she had asked to have her breakfast
there for once in a way--she suddenly began to laugh. "What ARE you
about now?" she asked teasingly.
"Shaving," said Peer, beginning operations.
"Shaving! Are you so desperate to be grand to-day that you must scrape
all your skin off? You know there's nothing else to shave."
"You hold your tongue. Little do you know what I've got in front of me
to-day."
"What can it be? You're not going courting an old widow with twelve
children, are you?"
"If you want to know, I'm going to that schoolmaster fellow, and going
to wring my savings-bank book out of him."
Louise sat up at this. "My great goodness!" she said.
Yes; he had been working himself up to this for a year or more, and now
he was going to do it. To-day he would show what he was made of--whether
he was a snivelling child, or a man that could stand up to any
dressing-gown in the world. He was shaving for the first time--quite
true. And the reason was that it was no ordinary day, but a great
occasion.
His toilet over, he put on his best hat with a flourish, and set out.
Louise stayed at home all the morning, waiting for his return. And at
last she heard him on the stairs.
"Puh!" he said, and stood still in the middle of the room.
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