'Where you been?' he inquired.
'Miles and miles away. You know the Battery?'
William Bannister nodded.
'Well, a long way past that. First I took a ship and went ever so many
miles. Then I landed and went ever so many more miles, with all sorts
of beasts trying to bite pieces out of me.'
This interested William Bannister.
'Tigers?' he inquired.
'I didn't actually see any tigers, but I expect they were sneaking
round. There were mosquitoes, though. You know what a mosquito is?'
William nodded.
'Bumps,' he observed crisply.
'That's right. You see this lump here, just above my mouth? Well,
that's not a mosquito-bite; that's my nose; but think of something
about that size and you'll have some idea of what a mosquito-bite is
like out there. But why am I boring you with my troubles? Tell me all
about yourself. You've certainly been growing, whatever else you may
have been doing while I've been away; I can hardly lift you. Has Steve
taught you to box yet?'
At this moment he was aware that he had become the centre of a small
group. Looking round he found himself gazing into a face so stiff with
horror and disapproval that he was startled almost into dropping
William. What could have happened to induce Mrs. Porter to look like
that he could not imagine; but her expression checked his flow of light
conversation as if it had been turned off with a switch. He lowered
Bill to the ground.
'What on earth's the matter?' he asked. 'What has happened?'
Without replying, Mrs. Porter made a gesture in the direction of the
nursery, which had the effect of sending Mamie and her charge off again
on the journey upstairs which Kirk's advent had interrupted. Bill
seemed sorry to go, but he trudged sturdily on without remark. Kirk
followed him with his eyes till he disappeared at the bend of the
stairway.
'What's the matter?' he repeated.
'Are you mad, Kirk?' demanded Mrs. Porter in a tense voice.
Kirk turned helplessly to Ruth.
'You had better let me explain, Aunt Lora,' she said. 'Of course Kirk
couldn't be expected to know, poor boy. You seem to forget that he has
only this minute come into the house.'
Aunt Lora was not to be appeased.
'That is absolutely no excuse. He has just left a ship where he cannot
have failed to pick up bacilli of every description. He has himself
only recently recovered from a probably infectious fever. He is wearing
a beard, notoriously the most germ-ridden abomination in existence.'
Kirk started. He was not proud of his beard, but he had not regarded it
as quite the pestilential thing which it seemed to be in the eyes of
Mrs. Porter.
'And he picks up the child!' she went on. 'Hugs him! Kisses him! And
you say he could not have known better! Surely the most elementary
