"Why, Miss Parker, what's the
matter?"
Hannah's glance swept the group before her; then it fastened upon
Imogene.
"Where's my brother?" she demanded. "Have you seen my brother?"
Captain Bangs broke in.
"Your brother? Kenelm?" he asked. "Why, what about Kenelm? Ain't he to
home?"
"No. No, he ain't. And he ain't been home, either. I left a cold supper
for him on the table, and I put the teapot on the rack of the stove
ready for him to bile. But he ain't been there. It ain't been touched.
I--I can't think what--"
Imogene interrupted. "Your brother's all right, Miss Parker," she said,
calmly. "He's been havin' supper with me out in the kitchen. He's there
now. He's the company I said I had, Mrs. Thankful."
Hannah stared at her. Imogene returned the gaze coolly, blandly and with
a serene air of confident triumph.
"Perhaps you'd better come out and see him, ma'am," she went on.
"He--we, that is--have got somethin' to tell you. The rest can come,
too, if they want to," she added. "It's nothin' we want to keep from
you."
Hannah Parker pushed by her and rushed for the kitchen. Imogene followed
her and the others followed Imogene. As Thankful said, describing her
own feelings, "I couldn't have stayed behind if I wanted to. My feet had
curiosity enough to go by themselves."
Kenelm, who had been sitting by the kitchen table before a well-filled
plate, had heard his sister's approach and had risen. When Mrs. Barnes
and the others reached the kitchen he had backed into a corner.
Pages:
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201