what was about to happen below. They all
listened. They heard him clatter down the wooden stairs and throw open
the door. The singing stopped suddenly, but the gramophone continued to
bray out its vulgar tune. They heard Davidson's voice and then the noise
of something heavy falling. The music stopped. He had hurled the
gramophone on the floor. Then again they heard Davidson's voice, they
could not make out the words, then Miss Thompson's, loud and shrill,
then a confused clamour as though several people were shouting together
at the top of their lungs. Mrs Davidson gave a little gasp, and she
clenched her hands more tightly. Dr Macphail looked uncertainly from her
to his wife. He did not want to go down, but he wondered if they
expected him to. Then there was something that sounded like a scuffle.
The noise now was more distinct. It might be that Davidson was being
thrown out of the room. The door was slammed. There was a moment's
silence and they heard Davidson come up the stairs again. He went to his
room.

"I think I'll go to him," said Mrs Davidson.

She got up and went out.

"If you want me, just call," said Mrs Macphail, and then when the other
was gone: "I hope he isn't hurt."

"Why couldn't he mind his own business?" said Dr Macphail.

They sat in silence for a minute or two and then they both started, for
the gramophone began to play once more, defiantly, and mocking voices
shouted hoarsely the words of an obscene song.

Next day Mrs Davidson was pale and tired. She complained of headache,
and she looked old and wizened. She told Mrs Macphail that the
missionary had not slept at all; he had passed the night in a state of
frightful agitation and at five had got up and gone out. A glass of beer
had been thrown over him and his clothes were stained and stinking. But
a sombre fire glowed in Mrs Davidson's eyes when she spoke of Miss
Thompson.

"She'll bitterly rue the day when she flouted Mr Davidson," she said.
"Mr Davidson has a wonderful heart and no one who is in trouble has ever
gone to him without being comforted, but he has no mercy for sin, and
when his righteous wrath is excited he's terrible."

"Why, what will he do?" asked Mrs Macphail.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't stand in that creature's shoes for
anything in the world."

Mrs Macphail shuddered. There was something positively alarming in the
triumphant assurance of the little woman's manner. They were going out
together that morning, an