"Lalage will be in bed by the time you get there; if she's not
organizing another torchlight procession. You'd far better stop where
you are."

"I'd like to, but----"

"You can get a bed here and send over for your things. Your two ladies
are in the other hotel, I suppose."

"Yes. We knew you were here and Miss Battersby seemed a little afraid of
catching influenza, so we went to the other."

"That's all right. You'll be quite safe for the night if you stop here."

"I wish I could, but----"

"You'll not do any good by talking to Lalage. You know that."

"I know that of course; but----"

"It won't be at all pleasant for you when Miss Pettigrew comes out with
that plan of hers for marrying Lalage to Vittie. There'll be a horrid
row. From what I know of Lalage I feel sure that she'll resent the
suggestion. There'll be immense scope for language in the argument which
follows and they'll all feel freer to speak out if there isn't a church
dignitary standing there listening."

"I know all that, but still----"

"You don't surely mean to say that you _want_ to go and wrangle with
Lalage?"

"Of course not. I hate that kind of thing and always did; but----"

"Out with it, Canon. You stick at that 'but' every time."

"I promised Miss Pettigrew I'd go back."

"Is that all?"

"Not quite. The fact is--you don't know Miss Pettigrew, so you won't
understand."

"You're afraid of her?" I said.

"Well, yes, I am. Besides, the Archdeacon said some stiff things to me
before we started, uncommonly stiff things. Stiff isn't the word I want,
but you'll probably know what I mean."

"Prickly," I suggested.

"Yes, prickly. Prickly things about the responsibility of fatherhood and
the authority of parents. I really must go."

"Very well. If you must, you must, of course. But don't drag me into
it. Remember that I've got influenza and if Miss Pettigrew and Miss
Battersby come here I'll infect them. I rely on you to nip in the bud
any suggestion that I've anything to do with the affair one way or
the other. I tell you plainly that I'd rather see Lalage heading a
torchlight procession every day in the week than married to Vittie."

"The Archdeacon says that you are the person chiefly responsible for
what he calls Lalage's compromising position."

"The Archdeacon may say what he likes. I'm not responsible. Good
heavens, Canon, how can you suppose for an instant that anybody could,
be responsible for Lalage?"

"I didn