“What?”
“Why—your face! It’s of no use to advertise the fact that you are interested in Jack’s doings. They don’t seem to have been very creditable—it’s just as well that he didn’t try to come to the ball in his condition. Do you know what he was doing, late last night, just about supper-time? I’m so glad I spoke to you both the other day. Imagine the mere idea of marrying a man who gets into drunken brawls with prize fighters and is taken home by the police—”
“Stop—please! Don’t talk like that!” Katharine was trembling visibly.
“My dear child! It’s far better that I should tell you—it’s in the papers this morning. That sort of thing can’t be concealed, you know. The first person you meet will talk to you about it.”
Katharine had turned from her and was facing the mirror, steadying herself with her hands upon the dressing table.
“And as for behaving as you did last night—he’s not worth it. One might forgive him for being idle and all that—but men who get tipsy in the streets and fight horse-car conductors and pugilists are not exactly the kind of people one wants to meet in society—to dance with, for instance. Just listen to this—”
“Mother!”
“No—I want you to hear it. You can judge for yourself. ‘Mr. John R——, a well-known young gentleman about town and a near relation of—’ ”
“Mother—please don’t!” cried Katharine, bending over the table as though she could not hold up her head.
“ ‘—one of our financial magnates,’ ” continued Mrs. Lauderdale, inexorably, “and the hero of more than one midnight adventure, has at last met his match in the person of Tam Shelton, the famous light-weight pugilist. An entirety unadvertised and scantily attended encounter took place between these two gentlemen last night between eleven and twelve o’clock, in consequence of a dispute which had arisen in a horse-car. It appears that the representative of the four hundred had mistaken the public conveyance for his own comfortable quarters, and suddenly feeling very tired had naturally proceeded to go to bed—’ ”