And at the sound Mrs. Dennison smiled again, and drew yet nearer to the window.
"Oh, it's always nonsense what I say! Well, we shall see, Mr. Loring," and Mrs. Cormack tripped in through her window, and wrote in her diary—she kept a diary full of reflections—that Englishmen were all stupid. She had written that before, but the deep truth bore repetition.
Tom went in too, and found himself face to face with Mrs. Dennison. Bright spots of colour glowed on her cheeks; had she answered the question of the origin of the topic? Tom blushed and looked furtively at her.
"So the great scheme is launched," she remarked, "and Mr. Ruston triumphs!"
Tom's manner betrayed intense relief, but he was still perturbed.
"We're having a precious lot of Ruston," he observed, leaning against the mantelpiece and putting his hands in his pockets.
"I like him," said Maggie Dennison.
"Those are the orders, are they?" asked Tom with a rather wry smile.
"Yes," she answered, smiling at Tom's smile. It amused her when he put her manner into words.
"Then we all like him," said Tom, and, feeling quite secure now, he added, "Mrs. Cormack said we should, which is rather against him."