But on his return he described the Quaker meeting to aunt Corinne.
“They all sat and sat,” said Bobaday. “It was a little bit of a house and not half so many folks could get in it as sit in the corners by the pulpit in Methodist meeting. And they sat and sat, and nobody said a word or gave out a hymn. The women looked at the cracks in the floor. You could hear everything outdoors. After a long time they all got up and shook hands. Mrs. Sebastian said to Mr. Sebastian when we came away, 'The spirit didn't appear to move anybody this morning.' And he said, 'No: but it was a blessed meeting.'”
“Didn't your legs cramp?” inquired aunt Corinne.
“Yes; and my nose tickled and I wanted to sneeze.”
“But you dursn't move your thumb even. That lawyer that ate supper here last night would like such a meeting, wouldn't he?”
The lawyer was coming up the log steps while Robert spoke of him. And with him was a lady who looked agitated, and whom he had to assist.
Robert and Corinne, at the open sitting-room window, looked at each other with quick apprehension.
“Aunt Krin, that's her mother,” said aunt Krin's nephew. His young relative grasped his arm and exclaimed in an awe-struck whisper:
“Bobaday Padgett!”