“What about divorce or big or whatever it is?” said William, taken aback by her sudden and open repudiation of him. “What about that? What about being hung?”
“If anyone trith to hang me,” said Violet Elizabeth complacently, “I’ll thcream and thcream and thcream till I’m thick. I can.”
Then she put out her tongue at each of the Outlaws in turn and ran lightly down the road after the figure of Hubert which could be seen in the distance.
“Well, we’ve got rid of her too,” said William, torn between relief at her departure and resentment at her scorn of him, “and she can play her silly games with him. I’ve had enough of them. Let’s go an’ sit on the stile and see who can throw stones farthest.”
They sat in a row on the stile. It counted ten to hit the telegraph post and fifteen to reach the further edge of the opposite field.
Ethel who had been to the village to do the household shopping came past when the game was in full swing.
“I’ll tell father,” she said grimly to William. “He said you oughtn’t to throw stones.”
William looked her up and down with his most inscrutable expression.
“’F it comes to that,” he said distantly, “he said you oughtn’t to wear high heels.”
Ethel flushed angrily, and walked on.