Part 26 (1/2)
”Yes-mam”
”I hardly knew you”
Mrs Bennett's housewifely instincts would not pern of surrender until she had proof of the cooking But away down in herwhich she could not overco of disappointment and dissatisfaction with her own son She had too ue way that she was not well pleased She was aAside from her son's disobedience, which had been a shock to her, what an inglorious afternoon had been his! It see worthy that afternoon except her own son There lay his victi in silence She noticed that the boys seemed somehow to make allowance for Connover, and it touched her pride
While the last few touches for this special , she and Mr Ellsworth wandered a little way out of caht, but as one who knew his business and was qualified to speak He had stormed Mrs Bennett's fortress too many times to mince matters now
”I don't know that you're really to blame, Mrs Bennett--except indirectly”
”I--to blaht_”
”I _never_ approved of Captain Dauntless' books,” she said ”It was a compromise”
”Look up there, Mrs Bennett--see that nest? Would you believe it, the boys got a photograph of the young birds in that nest and the old bird never knew it”
They walked along, he swinging a stick whick he had broken from a tree
”There is no such man as Captain Dauntless, you know Captains in the army have other work to do than to write stories for boys Captain Dauntless is a myth”
”It is so hard to knohat boys should read,” she sighed
”It is not as hard as it used to be Reo You see, if Connie had been a scout,--well now, let's begin at the beginning If he had been a scout he wouldn't have read those books in the first place; they're really not books at all, they're infernal machines Then if he had been a scout, of course, he wouldn't have disobeyed you; he wouldn't have sneaked off----”
Mrs Bennett set her lips rather tight at that word, but she did not contest the point
”If he had been a scout he wouldn't have killed a robin--but if he _had_ killed a robin, it would have been by skill and not by a silly, dangerous random shot--and he wouldn't have been afraid of the presence of death or the sight of blood If he had been a scout he could have deterly the locality of sounds and human voices, and Charlie O'Connor wouldn't----”
Mrs Bennett winced
”If he had been a scout he would have kno to swim; there isn't a member of my troop that can't swim And if he had been a scout he wouldn't have been afraid to go home Connie has the best home in the world, Mrs Bennett----”
”I have done everything for Connover----”
”But you see, he was afraid to go to it--and so he cale told that supper was ready Through the trees they could see the scouts asse board under trees whose foliage had begun to diht,” she said, pausing and raising her lorgnette to her eyes ”What are they all standing for?”
”Till you have taken your seat”
Sly she started toward theuest She kne to do this thing, and she was quite at home now Mr Ellsworth knew that her manner covered a sense of huether they ca that he came here and--and ant him to stay here Will you let him join us, Mrs Bennett?”
”Would he have two blankets over hiht?” she asked after a moment's dismayed pause
The question was not a surrender; it was a flag of truce,that she would discuss terms