"What has happened?" he asked again, with still greater displeasure.
"I slipped," said the doctor. "Where’s your mother, my boy?"
This was an attempt to disarm Eddie by reminding him that the doctor was his mother’s husband, and therefore venerable; but it was not successful. He received no reply, and went sauntering off with exaggerated jauntiness, watched by Eddie till he was out of sight.
Then Eddie turned to Angelica.
"I’m sorry," he said gravely.
"Oh, it don’t matter!" she answered. "I can take care of myself all right."
"I wasn’t apologizing for my father-in-law’s conduct. I meant I was sorry that you——”
"Me?" she cried, indignantly. "I didn’t do anything!"
"I hate to think of you stooping to this sort of thing—this silly vulgarity. It isn’t like you. It isn’t worthy of you!"
The former factory girl, with her long memory of scenes so much more vulgar and silly than this—of faces slapped and insults replied to with most forcible language—stared, astounded, at Eddie, at his displeased and disappointed face.