o' the week, and I reckon she wants to feel she's done what she could
to kind o' make up. Anyway, that's what he said. I 'phoned him again
about Edith, and he said it wouldn't disturb Sibyl, because she'd
been expectin' it; she was sure all along it was goin' to happen;
and, besides, I guess she's got all that foolishness pretty much out
of her, bein' so sick. But what I thought was, no use bein' rough
with her, papa--I expect she's suffered a good deal--and I don't think
we'd ought to be, on Roscoe's account. You'll--you'll be kind o'
polite to her, won't you, papa?"

He mumbled something which was smothered under the coverlet he had
pulled over his head.

"What?" she said, timidly. "I was just sayin' I hoped you'd treat
Sibyl all right when she comes, this afternoon. You will, won't you,
papa?"

He threw the coverlet off furiously. "I presume so!" he roared.

She departed guiltily.

But if he had accepted her proffered wager that Bibbs would go to
church with Mary Vertrees that morning, Mrs. Sheridan would have
lost. Nevertheless, Bibbs and Mary did certainly set out from Mr.
Vertrees's house with the purpose of going to church. That was their
intention, and they had no other. They meant to go to church.

But it happened that they were attentively preoccupied in a
conversation as they came to the church; and though Mary was looking
to the right and Bibbs was looking to the left, Bibbs's leftward