She shook her head. "That day at the funeral, I thought how they used
to bring the murderer into the presence of the man he had killed."
William King was really displeased. "Now, look here, you must stop
this sort of thing! It's not only foolish, but it's dangerous. We can
none of us play with our consciences without danger; they cut both
ways."
Mrs. Richie was silent. The doctor got up and planted himself on the
hearth-rug, his back to the fire, and his hands under his coat tails.
"Let's have it out: How could you help it because that poor boy fell
in love? You couldn't help being yourself--could you? And Sam couldn't
help being sentimental. Your gentleness and goodness were like
something he had never seen before. But you had to stop the
sentimentality, of course; that was just your duty. And I know how
wisely you did it--and kindly. But the boy was always a self-absorbed
dreamer; the mental balance was too delicate; it dipped the wrong way;
his mind went. To feel it was your fault is absolute nonsense. Now
there! I've never been so out of patience with you before," he ended
smiling; "but you deserve it."
"I don't deserve it," she said; "I wish I did."
"When I spoke about goodness," the doctor amended, "I didn't mean to
reflect on his father and mother. Mrs. Wright is one of the best women
in the world. I only meant--" William sat down and looked into the
fire. "Well; just plain goodness isn't necessarily--attractive. A
man--at least a boy like Sam, admires goodness, of course; but he does
sort of hanker after prettiness;" William's eyes dwelt on her bent
head, on the sheer muslin under David's cheek, on the soft incapable
hands that always made him think of white apple-blossoms, clasped
around the child's yielding body;--"Yes; something pretty, and
pleasant, and sweet; that's what a man--I mean a boy, Sam was only a
boy; really wants. And his mother, good as she is, is not,--well; I
don't know how to express it."
Helena looked over at him with a faint smile. "I thought goodness was
the finest thing in the world; I'm sure I used to be told so," she
ended dully.
"Of course, you would feel that," the doctor protested; "and it
is, of course it is! Only, I can understand how a boy might feel. Down
at the Wrights' there was just nothing but plain goodness, oh, very
plain, Mrs. Richie. It was all bread-and-butter. Necessary; I'm the
last person to say that bread-and-butter isn't necessary. But you do
want cake, once in a while; I mean when you are young. Sam couldn't
help liking cake," he ended smiling.