then--and we heard it all. Prissy
gave one scared, appealing look at Emmeline and then said, "No, thank
you, not to-night."

Stephen just turned on his heel and went. He was a high-spirited fellow
and I knew he would never overlook a public slight like that. If he
had had as much sense as he ought to have had he would have known that
Emmeline was at the bottom of it; but he didn't, and he began going to
see Althea Gillis, and they were married the next year. Althea was a
rather nice girl, though giddy, and I think she and Stephen were happy
enough together. In real life things are often like that.

Nobody ever tried to go with Prissy again. I suppose they were afraid
of Emmeline. Prissy's beauty soon faded. She was always kind of sweet
looking, but her bloom went, and she got shyer and limper every year of
her life. She wouldn't have dared put on her second best dress without
asking Emmeline's permission. She was real fond of cats and Emmeline
wouldn't let her keep one. Emmeline even cut the serial out of the
religious weekly she took before she would give it to Prissy, because
she didn't believe in reading novels. It used to make me furious to see
it all. They were my next door neighbours after I married Thomas, and I
was often in and out. Sometimes I'd feel real vexed at Prissy for giving
in the way she did; but, after all, she couldn't help it--she was born
that way.

And now Stephen was going to try his luck again. It certainly did seem
funny.

Stephen walked home with Prissy from prayer meeting four nights before
Emmeline found it out. Emmeline hadn't been going to prayer meeting all
that summer because she was mad at Mr. Leonard. She had expressed her
disapproval to him because he had buried old Naomi Clark at the harbour
"just as if she was a Christian," and Mr. Leonard had said something to
her she couldn't get over for a while. I don't know what it was, but
I know that when Mr. Leonard WAS roused to rebuke anyone the person so
rebuked remembered it for a spell.

All at once I knew she must have discovered about Stephen and Prissy,
for Prissy stopped going to prayer meeting.

I felt real worried about it, someway, and although Thomas said for
goodness' sake not to go poking my fingers into other people's pies,
I felt as if I ought to do something. Stephen Clark was a good man
and Prissy would have a beautiful home; and those two little boys of
Althea's needed a mother if ever boys did. Besides, I knew qui