Colonel Marvin forgot his office and all parliamentary proprieties in the
tide of emotion that swept over the meeting when the minister sat down. "I
am glad," he said, "that no sort of action need be taken now upon Mr.
Peck's proposed resignation, which I for one cannot believe this society
will ever agree to accept."
Others echoed his sentiment; they spoke out, sitting and standing, and
addressed themselves to no one, till Putney moved an adjournment, which
Colonel Marvin sufficiently recollected himself to put to a vote, and
declare carried.
Annie walked home with the Putneys and Dr. Morrell. She was aware of
something unwholesome in the excitement which ran so wholly in Mr. Peck's
favour, but abandoned herself to it with feverish helplessness.
"Ah-h-h!" cried Putney, when they were free of the crowd which pressed
upon him with questions and conjectures and comments. "What a slump!--what
a slump! That blessed, short-legged little seraph has spoilt the best
sport that ever was. Why, he's sent that fool of a Gerrish home with the
conviction that he was right in the part of his attack that was the most
vilely hypocritical, and he's given that heartless scoundrel the pleasure
of feeling like an honest man. I should like to rap Mr. Peck's head up
against the back of his pulpit, and I should like to knock the skulls of
Colonel Marvin and Mr. Wilmington together and see which was the thickest.
Why, I had Gerrish fairly by the throat at last, and I was just reaching
for the balm of Gilead with my other hand to give him a dose that would
have done him for one while! Ah, it's too bad, too bad! Well! well!
But--haw! haw! haw!--didn't Gerrish tangle himself up beautifully in his
rhetoric? I guess we shall fix Brother Gerrish yet, and I don't think we
shall let Brother Peck off without a tussle. I'm going to try print on
Brother Gerrish. I'm going to ask him in the Hatboro' _Register_--he
doesn't advertise, and the editor's as independent as a lion where a man
don't advertise--"
"Indeed he's not going to do anything of the kind, Annie," said Mrs.
Putney. "I shall not let him. I shall make him drop the whole affair now,
and let it die out, and let us be at peace again, as Mr. Peck says."
"There seemed to be a good deal of sense in that part of it," said Dr.
Morrell. "I don't know but he was right to propose himself as a
peace-offering; perhaps there's no other way out."