"Yes, of course," Annie assented. "Dr. Morrell," she added, in that effect
of continuing the subject with which one breaks away from it, "do you know
much about South Hatboro'?"
"I have some patients there."
"I was there this morning--"
"I heard of you. They all take a great interest in your theatricals."
"In _my_ theatricals? Really this is too much! Who has made them my
theatricals, I should like to know? Everybody at South Hatboro' talked as
if I had got them up."
"And haven't you?"
"No. I've had nothing to do with them. Mr. Brandreth spoke to me about
them a week ago, and I was foolish enough to go round with Mrs. Munger
to collect public opinion about her invited dance and supper; and now it
appears that I have invented the whole affair."
"I certainly got that impression," said the doctor, with a laugh lurking
under his gravity.
"Well, it's simply atrocious," said Annie. "I've nothing at all to do with
either. I don't even know that I approve of their object."
"Their object?"
"Yes. The Social Union."
"Oh! Oh yes. I had forgot about the object," and now the doctor laughed
outright.
"It seems to have dropped into the background with everybody," said Annie,
laughing too.
"You like the unconventionality of South Hatboro'?" suggested the doctor,
after a little silence.
"Oh, very much," said Annie. "I was used to the same thing abroad. It might
be an American colony anywhere on the Continent."
"I suppose," said the doctor musingly, "that the same conditions of sojourn
and disoccupation _would_ produce the same social effects anywhere.
Then you must feel quite at home in South Hatboro'!"
"Quite! It's what I came back to avoid. I was sick of the life over there,
and I wanted to be of some use here, instead of wasting all my days."
She stopped, resolved not to go on if he took this lightly, but the doctor
answered her with sufficient gravity: "Well?"
"It seemed to me that if I could be of any use in the world anywhere, I
could in the place where I was born, and where my whole childhood was
spent. I've been at home a month now, the most useless person in Hatboro'.
I did catch at the first thing that offered--at Mr. Brandreth and his
ridiculous Social Union and theatricals, and brought all this trouble on
myself. I talked to Mr. Peck about them. You know what his views are?"