Marjorie held out her hand. “I—I suppose you’ll come soon again?” she asked, politely.
“Oh, yes!” The girl placed her hand in Marjorie’s rather timidly. “I will. Now that you and me’ve met, I won’t be no stranger.”
Howard’s nerves were fairly on edge as he helped his fiancée into her jacket. Everything she said seemed to magnify ten-fold in front of his mother. He hadn’t noticed it nearly as much when they were alone.
“Good-by,” Marjorie said. “Come in—whenever you wish.”
“All right—I’ll run in from work to-morrow. Oughten’ I to kiss you, Mrs. Benton—now that I’ll be callin’ you—Ma?”
Marjorie hesitated an instant, but one look at Howard’s flushed cheeks and pleading eyes, made her answer: “Why, certainly—Katie.” She kissed her, then turned to Howard. “Shall you remain out late, dear?”
“No, mother, I’ll be home early. Will you wait for me?”
“Yes—I’ll wait.”
As soon as the door closed after them, she sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands.
“Oh, God,” she prayed fervently, “don’t let me live to see this! He can’t marry a girl like that—it will ruin his life! He has suffered so much, and so have I. We have gone through a great deal and borne up, but in mercy, spare us this awful thing. Please, God—Oh, please,” she moaned, as she rocked to and fro.