"What on earth is the matter with Roger?"
Anne shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. He simply can't take those things lightly. He gets all wrought up about the state of the world."
"Do you think he's dropped it now?" Hilda said hurriedly, detaining Anne as she was about to pass back to the dining-room.
"Yes," Anne said shortly. "He won't say any more."
"Really, it's enough to scare one to death," Hilda went on in her hurried whisper, as she slipped the mince pies from their pans to the serving plates. "Idiots and criminals lurking round and you can't tell them from sane people! Sometimes I think Christian Science must be an awful comfort. Look at Charlotte Welles, she never gets all stewed up. She just goes round saying—All is Love—and she doesn't have to bother about fixing it. What with Dr. Stetson saying you can almost cut wickedness out of people, and Roger wanting to feed it out of them, and Charlotte saying there is none in them—one doesn't know what to believe."
Belle's laughter drifted from the dining-room. Hilda heaved a sigh of real relief. "That's nice. I guess everything'll be all right now. Belle has a lot of tact."
The rest of the meal went off pleasantly. Although Roger made no definite contribution, he no longer sat frowning and crumbling his bread. It was after six when they rose from the table, and, according to a prearranged scheme of Belle's, had black coffee in the other room before the gas log. But Anne saw that Belle did not quite trust Roger yet, because she so evidently kept the conversation in her own hands.
"It's a shame," Anne decided. "He couldn't change them, and this is the first time Belle has ever brought any of her friends home and had things pleasant."
As soon after the black coffee as she could, she let her eye catch Roger's and, at the question in his, nodded faintly. The others would have a better time when he had gone, and they would all be going soon anyhow. She slipped out as Hilda took the empty coffee things.
"I think we'll have to go now, mamma. Roger has had a tiring day and there may be reports to do yet. This is Mr. Wainwright's busy season."