Peter gave a rumbling laugh.
“Maclin a tester!” he repeated. “Lord, Polly, yer notions are more messing than clearing.”
“Well, anyway, Peter Heathcote, Maclin came, and this I do say: places are like folks––if their constitutions are all right, they don’t take disease. Maclin was a disease, and we caught him! He settled on us and we hadn’t vim enough to know and understand what he was. If it hadn’t been Maclin it would have been another. As things are I do feel that Maclin has cleared our systems! The folks were wakened by him as nothing in the world could have wakened them.”
Peter was not listening, he was thinking aloud.
“All our years wasted! We felt so sure that we was capable that we just let folks fall into the hands of that evil man. Think of anything, bearing the image of God taking advantage of simple, honest people and letting them into what he did!”
“I never did think Maclin was in the image of God, Peter. All God’s children ain’t the spitting image of Him. And Maclin certainly did us a good turn when he found iron on the Point. The iron’s here––if he ain’t!”
“He meant to turn that and his damned inventions against us. Betray us to an enemy! And us just sitting and letting him do it!”
“Well, he didn’t do it!” Polly snapped. “And it seems like God is giving us another chance; same as He is the world.”
Peter got up and stumped noisily about the kitchen much to Ginger’s surprise and discomfort.