oath.

"Fuss, fight, and fury," he wailed. "Fine place for a nervous guy!
If I don't end in a mad-house I'll be lucky."




CHAPTER XIX


On the way to the Elegancia Mrs. Knight recounted in greater
detail and with numerous digressions and comments what Hannibal
Wharton had said to her. Not only had he given full vent to his
anger at the marriage, but he had allowed himself the pleasure of
expressing a frank opinion of the entire Knight family in all its
unmitigated and complete badness. Mrs. Knight herself he had
called a blood-sucker, it seemed--the good woman shook with rage
at the memory--and he had threatened her with the direst
retribution if she persisted in attempting to fasten herself upon
him. Bob, he had explained, was a loafer whom he had supported out
of a sense of duty; if the idiot was ungrateful he would simply
have to suffer the consequences. But Bob's mother felt the
disgrace keenly, and on her account Hannibal had expressed himself
as willing to ransom the young fool for, say, ten thousand
dollars.

"Disgrace, eh? Ten thousand dollars?" Jim growled. "What does he
think we are, anyhow? Why, that ain't cigarette money."