Was this his cue? He fidgeted, glanced sidewise to see whether his wife were within range of his voice.
"I presume there's a great deal of laxness in Tahulamaji...."
"Well," she pondered, accepting his wider implication. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Still, of course, one must never lose sight of the missionaries."
"Yes!" brightened her brother-in-law. "We help support a missionary in Tahulamaji. Perhaps you—"
"No, Alfred, no. I'm afraid I've never had that pleasure. You see I've been so busy, and the missionary seems always so busy, too."
"There's much to be done," he reminded her simply.
She was quite serious and respectful. He began to grow more at ease; more expansive; told her a great deal about what missionaries do in foreign lands, and especially what the missionary in Tahulamaji was doing. His talk grew really interesting. Then there was a shift which brought them round to the activities of the church in America.
"We're trying to broaden out all we can," he told her. "Every year new opportunities seem to be opening up. We have to keep abreast of the times. For instance, there's the parish house—"
Leslie's arrival interrupted them. He was now dressed in white and wore a purple tie. Hilda came skipping across the porch and ran down the steps to him.
"You must wish us luck!" she called back over her shoulder.