Then she held that people who had nothing else to do ought at least to be

exemplary in their lives, and she was merciless to the goings-on in South

Hatboro', which had penetrated on the breath of scandal to the elder

village. When Annie came to find out what these were, she did not think

them dreadful; they were small flirtations and harmless intimacies between

the members of the summer community, which in the imagination of the

village blackened into guilty intrigue. On the tongues of some, South

Hatboro' was another Gomorrah; Mrs. Bolton believed the worst, especially

of the women.

"I hear," said Mrs. Bolton, "that them women come up here for _rest_.

I don't know what they want to rest _from_; but if it's from doin'

nothin' all winter long, I guess they go back to the city poot' near's

tired's they come."

Perhaps Annie felt that it was useless to try to enlighten her in regard

to the fatigues from which the summer sojourner in the country escapes

so eagerly; the cares of giving and going to lunches and dinners; the

labour of afternoon teas; the late hours and the heavy suppers of evening

receptions; the drain of charity-doing and play-going; the slavery of

amateur art study, and parlour readings, and musicales; the writing of

invitations and acceptances and refusals; the trying on of dresses; the

calls made and received. She let her talk on, and tried to figure, as well

as she could from her talk, the form and magnitude of the task laid upon

her by Mr. Brandreth, of reconciling Old Hatboro' to South Hatboro', and

uniting them in a common enterprise.

"Mrs. Bolton," she said, abruptly leaving the subject at last, "I've been

thinking whether I oughtn't to do something about Mr. Peck. I don't want

him to feel that he was unwelcome to me in my house; I should like him to

feel that I approved of his having been here."

As this was not a question, Mrs. Bolton, after the fashion of country

people, held her peace, and Annie went on-"Does he never come to see you?"

"Well, he was here last night," said Mrs. Bolton.

"Last _night_!" cried Annie. "Why in the world didn't you let me

know?"

"I didn't know as you wanted to know," began Mrs. Bolton, with a sullen

defiance mixed with pleasure in Annie's reproach. "He was out there in my

settin'-room with his little girl."

"But don't you see that if you didn't let me know he was here it would look

to him as if I didn't wish to meet him--as if I had told you that you were

not to introduce him?"




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