She heard Howard stumble away, muttering angrily to himself. Very deliberately Warren moved toward her. She forced herself to lift her eyes. He was looking down at her with the air of one who has the whip-hand and knows it. For some undefined reason she felt herself at a tremendous disadvantage.
"Look here," said Warren with the same hardness in his voice she had noticed when he spoke to Howard, "this won't do, you know."
Agatha remembered that she was Hephzibah Diggs just in time to drawl the inquiry through her nose. "What won't do?"
"You mustn't be putting ideas into the kid's head. He's a nice kid. Forbes is tremendously interested in him and so is Miss Kent. On Miss Kent's account if there were no other reason, you ought to let the boy alone."
She glared at him, fury growing with understanding. Her baleful gaze fought its way to him through tears of pure rage.
Her unexpected emotion softened him perceptibly. He laid aside his air of judicial sternness as easily as he would have removed his coat.
"Come now," he said, seating himself beside her. "We mustn't quarrel. And I dare say you meant no particular harm. Only keep in mind that it's hands off where the boy is concerned."
"Have you got anything to say to me?"
"You bet I have. I've come clear from town to say it, Hephzibah. By the way, isn't there something I could call you for short?"