"Yes," he said, with a dim smile that left him sad again, "there is some
truth in that. But I'm not sure that I have the right to give her
advantages of any kind, to lift her above the lot, the chance, of the least
fortunate--"
"Surely, we are bound to provide for those of our own household," said
Annie.
"Who are those of our own household?" asked the minister. "All mankind are
those of our own household. These are my mother and my brother and my
sister."
"Yes, I know," said Annie, somewhat eagerly quitting this difficult ground.
"But you can leave her with me at least till you get settled," she
faltered, "if you don't wish it to be for longer."
"Perhaps it may not be for long," he answered, "if you mean my settlement
in Hatboro'. I doubt," he continued, lifting his eyes to the question in
hers, "whether I shall remain here."
"Oh, I hope you will," cried Annie. She thought she must make a pretence of
misunderstanding him. "I supposed you were very much satisfied with your
work here."
"I am not satisfied with myself in my work," replied the minister; "and I
know that I am far from acceptable to many others in it."
"You are acceptable to those who are best able to appreciate you, Mr.
Peck," she protested, "and to people of every kind. I'm sure it's only a
question of time when you will be thoroughly acceptable to all. I want
you to understand, Mr. Peck," she added, "that I was shocked and ashamed
the other night at your being tricked into countenancing a part of the
entertainment you were promised should be dropped. I had nothing to do
with it."
"It was very unimportant, after all," the minister said, "as far as I was
concerned. In fact, I was interested to see the experiment of bringing the
different grades of society together."
"It seems to me it was an utter failure," suggested Annie.
"Quite. But it was what I expected."
There appeared an uncandour in this which Annie could not let pass even if
it imperilled her present object to bring up the matter of past contention.
"But when we first talked of the Social Union you opposed it because it
wouldn't bring the different classes together."
"Did you understand that? Then I failed to make myself clear. I wished
merely to argue that the well-meaning ladies who suggested it were not
intending a social union at all. In fact, such a union in our present
condition of things, with its division of classes, is impossible--as Mrs.
Munger's experiment showed--with the best will on both sides. But, as I
said, the experiment was interesting, though unimportant, except as it
resulted in heart-burning and offence."