32 THE JONATHAN PAPERS 



Jonathan turn back from the door at the 

 sound of her steps, and in the short colloquy 

 that followed, though I could hear nothing, 

 I could see those hips and shoulders settling 

 themselves yet more decisively, while Jona 

 than s attitude grew more studiously courte 

 ous. But when he had lifted his hat again and 

 turned from that monument of immobile 

 unpleasantness I saw his face relax into lines, 

 partly of amusement, partly of chagrin; and 

 as he took his seat beside me and drove on, he 

 murmured snatches of quotation &quot;No; 

 couldn t possibly,&quot; &quot;No; don t know any 

 body that could,&quot; &quot;No; never did such a 

 thing,&quot; &quot;No; the people in the next house ve 

 just had a funeral; sure they could n t&quot;; and 

 finally he broke into a chuckle as he quoted, 

 &quot;Well, there is some folks about two mile 

 down might mebbe take ye; they does some 

 times harbor peddlers n such like.&quot; Jona 

 than was hardly willing to try again so near 

 by; he regarded the whole neighborhood as 

 tainted. Yet it was little more than two miles 

 beyond, on that same afternoon, that we 

 found lodgings with the most delightful, the 

 most hospitable friends of all for friends 



