"If that isn't like a boy!" she said with quick indignation. "At any rate, he has told me about you!"
"Nothing bad, I hope?" He smiled faintly, but I felt that he was almost breathlessly waiting for her reassurance.
"Mercy, no! He thinks you know an awful lot." Then she drew back a step, threw up her head to look him steadily in the eye, and said clearly, "Mr. Garney, I think Gene did exactly right. And I am proud of him."
I saw that she meant to permit no misunderstanding as to her position but I doubted whether Garney cared a rap what she might think. It wasn't her opinions that he cared about. It was herself. I admit that it annoyed me. I wanted to get her out of his sight.
"It is time for us to go, Miss Benbow," I said abruptly.
"You are going down to the jail?" asked Garney quickly. I saw that it was on the tip of his tongue to propose going with us.
"Yes, we are going," I said, looking at him steadily. "You, I believe, are going back to your classroom."
An angry look came over his face as he caught my meaning. I saw that he would not forget it, but I didn't care. Was I to stand by and say nothing while he tumbled his wits at her feet? It was absurd. She wasn't old enough to understand and defend herself. We parted definitely at the street door, and I walked Jean so fast down the block that I was ashamed when I suddenly realized what I was doing.
"I beg your pardon," I said, slowing up.
She had kept up manfully, though breathlessly. "Oh, I like to walk fast," she said staunchly.