Annie Kilburn

He stopped and looked round, mystified, as if this were not the point which

he had been aiming at.

Lyra broke into a spluttering laugh, and suddenly checked herself. Putney

smiled slightly. "Pretty good, eh? Say, where was I?" he asked slyly. Lyra

hid her face behind Annie's shoulder. "What's that dress you got on? What's

all this about, anyway? Oh yes, I know. _Romeo and Juliet_--Social

Union. Well," he resumed, with a frown, "there's too much _Romeo and

Juliet_, too much Social Union, in this town already." He stopped, and

seemed preparing to launch some deadly phrase at Mrs. Wilmington, but he

only said, "You're all right, Lyra."

"Mrs. Munger," said Mr. Gerrish, "we must be going. Good night, ma'am. Mrs.

Gerrish, it's time the children were at home."

"Of course it is," said Putney, watching the Gerrishes getting their

children together. He waved his hand after them, and called out, "William

Gerrish, you're a man; I honour you."

He laid hold of the piano and pulled himself to his feet, and seemed to

become aware, for the first time, of his wife, where she stood with their

boy beside her.

"What you doing here with that child at this time of night?" he shouted at

her, all that was left of the man in his eyes changing into the glare of a

pitiless brute. "Why don't you go home? You want to show people what I did

to him? You want to publish my shame, do you? Is that it? Look here!"

He began to work himself along toward her by help of the piano. A step was

heard on the piazza without, and Dr. Morrell entered through the open

window.

"Come now, Putney," he said gently. The other men closed round them.

Putney stopped. "What's this? Interfering in family matters? You better

go home and look after your own wives, if you got any. Get out the way,

'n' you mind your own business, Doc. Morrell. You meddle too much."

His speech was thickening and breaking. "You think science going do

everything--evolution! Talk me about evolution! What's evolution done

for Hatboro'? 'Volved Gerrish's store. One day of Christianity--real

Christianity--Where's that boy? If I get hold of him--"

He lunged forward, and Jack Wilmington and young Munger stepped before him.

Mrs. Putney had not moved, nor lost the look of sad, passive vigilance

which she had worn since her husband reappeared.

She pushed the men aside.

"Ralph, behave yourself! _Here's_ Winthrop, and we want you to take us

home. Come now!" She passed her arm through his, and the boy took his other

hand. The action, so full of fearless custom and wonted affection from them

both, seemed with her words to operate another total change in his mood.