constant air was that of a badgered captive plaintively silent under
injustice; and he found it difficult to reply calmly when asked where
he was going--an inquiry addressed to him, he asserted, every time he
touched his cap, even to hang it up!

The amount of evening walking he did must also have been a trial to his
nerves, on account of fatigue, though the ground covered was not vast.
Milla's mother and father were friendly people but saw no reason
to "move out of house and home," as Mr. Rust said, when Milla had
"callers"; and on account of the intimate plan of their small dwelling
a visitor's only alternative to spending the evening with Mr. and Mrs.
Rust as well as with Milla, was to invite her to "go out walking."

Evening after evening they walked and walked and walked, usually in
company--at perhaps the distance of half a block--with Albert Paxton and
Sadie Clews, though Ramsey now and then felt disgraced by having fallen
into this class; for sometimes it was apparent that Albert casually had
his arm about Sadie's waist. This allured Ramsey somewhat, but terrified
him more. He didn't know how such matters were managed.

Usually the quartet had no destination; they just went "out walking"
until ten o'clock, when both girls had to be home--and the boys did,
too, but never admitted it. On Friday evenings there was a "public
open-air concert" by a brass band in a small park, and the four were
always there. A political speechmaker occupied the bandstand one night,
and they stood for an hour in the midst of the crowd, listening vaguely.

The orator saddled his politics upon patriotism. "Do you intend to let
this glorious country go to wrack and ruin, oh, my good friends," he
demanded, "or do you intend to save her? Look forth upon this country of