e two giggling neighbors.
Then he nudged Leslie and endeavored to get her to join in the mirth.
Poor Leslie with her burning cheeks, her brimming eyes, and her angry
heart! Her last vision of the leader as she bowed her head had been a
haughty, annoyed glance in their direction as he said: "Let us pray."
She felt that she could not stand another minute of this torture.
Almost she felt she must get up and go out, and she made a hasty
little movement to carry out the impulse, and then suddenly it came to
her that if she went Clive would follow her, and it would look to
Howard as if she had created the disturbance and they had gone off
together to have a good time. So she settled down to endure the rest
of the meeting, lifting miserable eyes of appeal to Allison as soon as
the prayer was ended. If only there had been a seat vacant up front
somewhere, a single seat with no other near it, where her tormentor
could not follow, she would have gone to it swiftly, but the seats
were all filled and there was nothing to do but sit still and frown
her disapproval. Perhaps Allison might have done something to quiet
the guest if he had noticed, but Allison was, at the moment of
Leslie's appeal, deeply wrapped in setting down a few items which must
be announced, and he almost immediately arose and went forward with
his slip of paper and held a whispered converse with Howard Letchworth
during the hymn that followed, afterwards taking a chair down from the
platform and placing it beside the chairman of an important committee
that he might consult with him about something. During this sudden
move on the part of Allison, Clive Terrence did have his attention
turned aside somewhat from his mischief-making, for he was watching
Allison with an amazed expression. Not anything that he had seen
since coming to the town had so astonished him as to see this young
man of wealth and position and undoubted strength of will and purpose,
get up in a church and go forward as if he had some business in the
affair. He sat up, with his loose, handsome under lip half-dropped in
surprise, and watched Allison, with a curious startled expression, and
when a moment later the leader said quietly: "Our president has a
message for us" and Allison arose and faced the crowded room with an
eager, spirited, interested look on his face, and began to talk
earnestly, outlining a plan for a deeper spiritual life among the
members, his expression was one of utter bewilderm