William uttered a cry; these little cakes were sacred.His mother, growing curious to meet a visiting lady of whom (so to speak) she had heard much and thought more, had asked May Parcher to bring her guest for iced tea, that afternoon.A few others of congenial age had been invited: there was to be a small matinee, in fact, for the honor and pleasure of the son of the house, and the cakes of Jane's onslaught were part of Mrs.Baxter's preparations.There was no telling where Jane would stop; it was conceivable that Miss Pratt herself might go waferless.
William returned the cardboard box to its drawer with reverent haste; then, increasing the haste, but dropping the reverence, he hied himself to the pantry with such advantage of longer legs that within the minute he and the wafers appeared in conjunction before his mother, who was arranging fruit and flowers upon a table in the ``living-room.''
William entered in the stained-glass attitude of one bearing gifts.Overhead, both hands supported a tin pan, well laden with small cakes and wafers, for which Jane was silently but repeatedly and systematically jumping.Even under the stress of these efforts her expression was cool and collected; she maintained the self-possession that was characteristic of her.
Not so with William; his cheeks were flushed, his eyes indignant.``You see what this child is doing?'' he demanded.``Are you going to let her ruin everything?''
``Ruin?'' Mrs.Baxter repeated, absently, refreshing with fair water a bowl of flowers upon the table.``Ruin?''
``Yes, ruin!'' William was hotly emphatic, ``If you don't do something with her it 'll all be ruined before Miss Pr--before they even get here!''
Mrs.Baxter laughed.``Set the pan down, Willie.''
``Set it DOWN?'' he echoed, incredulously ``With that child in the room and grabbing like--''
``There!'' Mrs.Baxter took the pan from him, placed it upon a chair, and with the utmost coolness selected five wafers and gave them to Jane.
``I'd already promised her she could have five more.You know the doctor said Jane's digestion was the finest he'd ever misunderstood.They won't hurt her at all, Willie.''
This deliberate misinterpretation of his motives made it difficult for William to speak.``Do YOU
think,'' he began, hoarsely, ``do you THINK--''
``They're so small, too,'' Mrs.Baxter went on.
``SHE probably wouldn't be sick if she ate them all.''
``My heavens!'' he burst forth.``Do you think I was worrying about--'' He broke off, unable to express himself save by a few gestures of despair.
Again finding his voice, and a great deal of it, he demanded: ``Do you realize that Miss PRATT will be here within less than half an hour? What do you suppose she'd think of the people of this town if she was invited out, expecting decent treatment, and found two-thirds of the cakes eaten up before she got there, and what was left of 'em all mauled and pawed over and crummy and chewed-up lookin' from some wretched CHILD?'' Here William became oratorical, but not with marked effect, since Jane regarded him with unmoved eyes, while Mrs.Baxter continued to be mildly preoccupied in arranging the table.
In fact, throughout this episode in controversy the ladies' party had not only the numerical but the emotional advantage.Obviously, the approach of Miss Pratt was not to them what it was to William.``I tell you,'' he declaimed;--``yes, I tell you that it wouldn't take much of this kind of thing to make Miss Pratt think the people of this town were--well, it wouldn't take much to make her think the people of this town hadn't learned much of how to behave in society and were pretty uncilivized!'' He corrected himself.``Uncivilized! And to think Miss Pratt has to find that out in MY house!
To think--''
``Now, Willie,'' said Mrs.Baxter, gently, ``you'd better go up and brush your hair again before your friends come.You mustn't let yourself get so excited.''
`` `Excited!' '' he cried, incredulously.``Do you think I'm EXCITED? Ye gods!''
He smote his hands together and, in his despair of her intelligence, would have flung himself down upon a chair, but was arrested half-way by simultaneous loud outcries from his mother and Jane.
``Don't sit on the CAKES!'' they both screamed.
Saving himself and the pan of wafers by a supreme contortion at the last instant, William decided to remain upon his feet.``What do I care for the cakes?'' he demanded, contemptuously, beginning to pace the floor.``It's the question of principle I'm talking about! Do you think it's right to give the people of this town a poor name when strangers like Miss PRATT come to vis--''
``Willie!'' His mother looked at him hopelessly.
``Do go and brush your hair.If you could see how you've tousled it you would.''
He gave her a dazed glance and strode from the room.
Jane looked after him placidly.``Didn't he talk funny!'' she murmured.
``Yes, dear,'' said Mrs.Baxter.She shook her head and uttered the enigmatic words, ``They do.''
``I mean Willie, mamma,'' said Jane.``If it's anything about Miss Pratt.he always talks awful funny.Don't you think Willie talks awful funny if it's anything about Miss Pratt, mamma?''
``Yes, but--''
``What, mamma?'' Jane asked as her mother paused.
``Well--it happens.People do get like that at his age, Jane.''
``Does everybody?''
``No, I suppose not everybody.Just some.''
Jane's interest was roused.``Well, do those that do, mamma,'' she inquired, ``do they all act like Willie?''
``No,'' said Mrs.Baxter.``That's the trouble;
you can't tell what's coming.''
Jane nodded.``I think I know,'' she said.
``You mean Willie--''
William himself interrupted her.He returned violently to the doorway, his hair still tousled, and, standing upon the threshold, said, sternly:
``What is that child wearing her best dress for?''
``Willie!'' Mrs.Baxter cried.``Go brush your hair!''
``I wish to know what that child is all dressed up for?'' he insisted.
``To please you! Don't you want her to look her best at your tea?''
