Part 52 (1/2)

”Why, Elizabeth,” he faltered, ”is that you?... Come in, won't you?”

She did come in, that is, she came as far as the door mat. Then she turned, not to him, but to his companion.

”What do you mean by speaking in that way of my mother?” she demanded.

Esther was still a trifle off balance. Her answer was rather incoherent.

”I--I don't know's I--as I said--as I said much of anything--much,” she stammered.

”I heard you. How dare you tell such--such _lies_?”

”Lies?”

”Yes; mean, miserable lies. What else are they? How dare you run to--to _him_ with them?”

Mrs. Tidditt's hand, that grasping the handle of the mola.s.ses pitcher, began to quiver. Her eyes, behind her steel-rimmed spectacles, winked rapidly.

”Elizabeth Berry,” she snapped, with ominous emphasis, ”don't you talk to me like that!”

”I shall talk to you as--as.... Oh, I should be ashamed to talk to you at all. My mother--my kind, trustful, unsuspecting mother! And you--you and he _dare_----”

Kendrick, in desperation, tried to put in a word.

”Elizabeth,” he begged, ”don't misunderstand. Esther hasn't been runnin'

here to tell me things. She came over to borrow some mola.s.ses from Judah, that's all.”

”Oh, stop! I tell you I heard what she said. And you were listening.

Listening! Without a word of protest. I suppose you encouraged her. Of course you did. No doubt this isn't the first time. This may be her usual report. Not content with--with prying into closets and--and coal bins and--and----”

”Elizabeth!”

”Doing these things for yourself was not enough, I suppose. You must encourage her--pay her, perhaps--to listen and whisper scandal and to spy----”

”Stop! Stop right there!” The captain was not begging now. Even in the midst of her impa.s.sioned outburst the young woman paused, halted momentarily by the compelling force of that order. But she halted unwillingly.

”I shall not stop,” she declared. ”I shall say----”

”You have said a whole lot too much already. And you don't mean what you have said.”

”I do! I do! Oh, I can't tell you what I think of you.”

”Well,” dryly, ”you have made a pretty fair try at tellin' it. If it is what you really think of me it'll do--it will be quite enough. I shan't need any more.”

He was looking at her gravely and steadily and before his look her own gaze wavered. If they had been alone it is barely possible that ... but they were not alone. Mrs. Tidditt was there and, by this time, as Judah would have said, ”her neck-feathers were on end” and her spurs sharpened for battle. She hopped into the pit forthwith.