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 usually she’s so all-fired particular about who she has anything to do with…. I’ll bet she did it just to show folks she dared.”

“She never thought of folks,” said Crane. “She never bothers about what people will think… but she ought to in a case like this. Decent folks won’t have that fellow shoved down their throats even by Lydia Canfield…. Just see the way she’s dared to introduce him to everybody. Lucky she didn’t bring him near me.”

“Hush… here she comes now.”

“I’m going to tell her what I think.”

“Better not.”

Young Crane grunted angrily. Then Angus heard Lydia’s voice.

“What are you boys hiding here for? If you’re planning something you just better hadn’t…. I won’t have any jokes to-night. Behave yourselves.”

“We were talking about that Burke,” Crane said doggedly.

Lydia said nothing, but her silence was significant.

“He has no business in decent company, meeting people. Why, Lydia, folks wouldn’t have let their children come if they’d known he was going to be here.”

The girl beside Angus felt him draw himself together, looked again at his face, gasped as she