"
She took up her knitting again as she said, "I am afraid the balance of
debt is on our side."
"Then," said Penhallow, who, too, disliked argument on religion, "if you
have got through with additions to the useless squabbles of centuries,
which hurt and never help, I--"
"But," broke in his wife, "I have had no answer."
"Oh, but you have, Ann; for me, Rivers is right."
"Then I am in a minority of one," she returned, "but I have not had my
say."
"Well, dear, keep it for next time. Now I want, as I said, a little
counsel about John."
"And about Leila, James. Something has got to be done."
The Squire said ruefully, "Yes, I suppose so. I do not know that anything
needs to be done. You saw John's condition before dinner. He had a
swollen nose and fair promise of a black eye. I asked you to take no
notice of it. I wanted first to hear what had happened. I got Leila on
the porch and extracted it by bits. It seems that Tom was rude to Leila."
"I never liked your allowing him to play with the children, James."
"But the boy needs boy-company."
"And what of Leila? She needs girl-company."
"I fear," said Rivers, "that may be the case."
"It is so," said Mrs. Ann decisively, pleased with his support. "What
happened, James?"
"I did not push Leila about what Tom did.
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