"There it goes," was all she said, however. Sara noticed that her
voice and manner were extremely quiet and controlled; but she had a
suspicion that it was because her eyes were so very wild. Oh, yes,
they were beautiful, but wild--wilder even than the Plynck's. The
Teacup, however, had quite tame eyes; it must be confessed that, when
Sara saw the effect of the thermometer upon Avrillia she wished for
the Teacup, a little.

But Avrillia merely called Yassuh in her sweet, controlled voice, and,
when he appeared, said to him quietly,

"Go tell your master it's time for him to change his trousers and
shave."

When Yassuh was gone she turned to Sara again--rather as one
entertains a visitor when one really wants to be doing something
else--and said, politely, "I suppose you know he's my step-husband.
That makes it rather troublesome."

Sara, remembering Pirlaps and his white trousers, looked so eager and
so uncomprehending that Avrillia evidently felt called upon to explain
further.

"It makes it necessary for him to sit on the step constantly, you see.
And it's of chocolate. That's unfortunate, too, but it can't be
helped. It's all right in winter, of course, but in summer it's a
great deal of trouble. When we were first married he used to wear
black trousers in summer; but I soon put a stop to that. I have him
trained now so that he always wears white ones, and I set the