They were shivering with the after-midnight chill of the cold room, and
Prue was not home. Papa snapped his watch open and snapped it shut; and
the same to his jaw:
"Two o'clock! And Prue not home. I'm going after her!"
He thrust into his overcoat, slapped his hat on his aching head, flung
open the door. And Prue came home.
She was alone! And in tears!
V
As papa's overcoat slid off his arms and his hat off his head she tore
down her gloves, tossed her cloak in the direction of the hat-tree and
stumbled up the stairs, sobbing. Her mother caught her hand.
"What's the matter, honey?"
Prue wrenched loose and went on up.
Father and mother stared at her, then at each other, then at the floor.
Each read the same unspeakable fear in the other's soul. Serina ran up
the stairs as fast as she could. William automatically locked the doors
and windows, turned out the lights, and followed.
He paused in the upper hall to listen. Prue was explaining at last.
"It's that Orton Hippisley," Prue sobbed.
"What--what has he done?" Serina pleaded, and Prue sobbed on:
"Oh, he got fresh! Some of these fellas in this town think that because
a girl likes to have a good time and knows how to dance they can get
fresh with her. I didn't like the way Ort Hippisley held me and I told
him. Finally I wouldn't dance any more with him. I gave his dances to
Grant Beadle till the last; then Ort begged so hard I said all right.
And he danced like a gentleman. But on the way home he--he put his arm
round me. And when I told him to take it away he wouldn't. He said I had
been in his arms half the evening before folks, and if I hadn't minded
then I oughtn't to mind now. And I said: 'Is that so? Well, it's mighty
different when you're dancing.' And he said, 'Oh no, it isn't,' and I
said, 'Oh yes, it is.' And he tried to kiss me and I hauled off and
smashed him right in the nose. It bloodied all over his dress soot, and
I'm glad of it."
Somehow Papa Pepperall felt such an impulse to give three cheers that he
had to put his own hand over his mouth. He tiptoed to his room, and when
mamma appeared to announce with triumph, "I guess Prue hasn't gone to
the bad yet," papa said: "Who said she had? Prue is the finest girl in
America!"
"I thought you were saying--"
"Why can't you ever once get me right? I was saying that Prue is too
fine a girl to be allowed to mingle with that tango set. I'm going to
cowhide that Hippisley cub. And Prue's not going to another one of those
dances."
But he didn't. And she did.