"He doesn't crawl—he couldn't," she cried in sudden anger; then in gentler tones, "I don't think you'd better say any more, or maybe I shall grow angry. If you have grown to think so—so badly of him, remember I'm your sister."
"But you're a girl, an' he's a man an'—"
"Stop it!" Hermione stamped her foot, and meeting her flashing glance, Spike wilted and—stopped it. So, while he glowered at the paper again, Hermione put away the dinner things, making more clatter about it than was usual, and turning now and then to glance at him from under her long lashes.
"Where did you meet M'Ginnis as you came home, Arthur?"
"At the corner of—say, who told you I met him?"
"You did."
"I never said a word about meetin' him."
"No, but you've been telling me what he told you. Only M'Ginnis could be vile enough to dare say such things about me. Oh, Arthur, for shame—how can you listen to that brute beast—for shame!"
Now, meeting the virginal purity of those eyes, Spike felt his cheeks burn, and he wriggled in his chair.
"Bud only told me Geoff had been—been here," he stammered, "and I guess it was the truth—I—I mean—"