Archie was sure by this time that somebody had seen him with the Dunns, and had reported the fact to Mrs. Stuart.
"I met some friends going, and I went with them," he said, with assumed carelessness. "I don't see why I'm to be catechised like this, mother, as if I was in my pinafores still! One would think I'd done something wicked."
Mrs. Stuart's long nose became pinched, and her thin lips grew rigid.
"What friends?" she demanded.
"Only the Dunns."
A pause followed. Archie glanced up once or twice from his plate to Mrs. Stuart's face.
"There's no harm if I did go with the Dunns, or anybody else," he continued. "They're out-and-out nice people; and Dunn's a really good fellow, if ever there was one. I'm sure of it. There's lots of things he can talk about."
Silence answered him. Mrs. Stuart helped herself to another potato, and disposed of it in four big gulps, as a relief to her feelings.
"I haven't been to see them again, because I knew you wanted me not. But they've been expecting me; and they must count it odd you not going. I do think you might, when Dunn knew father, and all! And when I want it too! Anyway, I'm old enough to choose my friends. If it was a bad sort of friends I'd got hold of, things would be different. But people like the Dunns,—I can't see why on earth you should mind."
Mrs. Stuart avoided looking at her son.