AndwhenPupkincouldn’tanswertheargumentshewasquitecrossandsilentallthewayhome。
WhatwasPeterPupkindoing，then，ateighthundreddollarsinabankinMariposa？Ifyouaskthat，itmeansthatyouknownothingofthelifeoftheMaritimeProvincesandthesturdytemperofthepeople。I
supposetherearenopeopleintheworldwhohateluxuryandextravaganceandthatsortofthingquiteasmuchastheMaritimeProvincepeople，and，ofthem，noonehatedluxurymorethanPupkinsenior。
Don’tmistaketheman。Heworealongsealskincoatinwinter，yes;
butmarkyou，notasamatterofluxury，butmerelyasaquestionofhislungs。Hesmoked，Iadmitit，athirty—fivecentcigar，notbecausehepreferredit，butmerelythroughadelicacyofthethoraxthatmadeitimperative。Hedrankchampagneatlunch，Iconcedethepoint，notintheleastfromtheenjoymentofit，butsimplyonaccountofapeculiaraffectionofthetongueandlipsthatpositivelydictatedit。Hisownlonging——andhiswifesharedit——wasforthesimple，simplelife——anislandsomewhere，withbirdsandtrees。Theyhadboughtthreeorfourislands——oneintheSt。