Tish then went up and spoke to him from the window.
“See here,” she said angrily, “do you think that I did not mean what I said through that door?”
He had the audacity to yawn.
“I didn’t hear all of it,” he said. “But judging from what I know of you, I daresay you meant it. Would you mind tossing me a tin cup or something to drink out of?”
“You are not going back to town to register, then?”
“It’s early,” he replied, coolly. “If you mean do I intend to walk back, I do not. I shall wait for the Sheriff and the posse.”
It was then that Tish saw the policeman crossing a field toward the Knowles farm and she tried to reason with the young man. But he dropped his pretence of indifference, and would not even listen to her.
“I’ve only one thing to say,” he said, fiercely. “You be careful of that young lady. As to whether I register or not, that’s my business and has nothing to do with the case. When you open that door and send her out, with four good tires to take the place of the ones you ruined, I’ll talk to you, and not before.”
He then got up and walked away, and Tish came downstairs and lighted a candle with hands that shook with rage. We had heard the entire conversation, and in the candlelight I could see that Aggie was as white as wax.
Well, the situation was really desperate, but Tish’s face forbade questions. Aggie ventured to observe that perhaps it would be better to unlock the door and release the girl, but Tish only gave her a ferocious glance.