“What have you been up to to-night?”
“I went out to Ironstead to a show at Paddock’s parish house.”
Colonel Craighill’s face expressed surprise and pleasure.
“I’m glad to hear it; Paddock’s a good man for you to cultivate.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that!” said Wayne, instantly resentful. “I’m not sure but he’s a dangerous character.”
“No man who gives his life for the good of mankind can be any other than a useful member of society.”
“I suppose that’s so, but if Paddock should lead his ragged legion in an attack on the banks downtown and raid the shops it would be less admirable.”
“We must take a hopeful view of society; every school-house in the land is an outpost of democratic ideals,” declared Colonel Craighill impressively, plucking, Wayne guessed, a phrase from the address he had been preparing.
“Here at home we’re going to need a good many school-houses to knock the spirit of democracy into the riff-raff of Europe. When do you go away again?”
“Oh, not till early in December, when I go to Boston for the conference of the Municipal Service League. Adelaide will go with me.”