She never went on the
street, and for two Sundays had stayed at home from meeting. He could
not muster courage to ask Edwards about her, feeling that it must be
that she kept within doors merely to avoid him. One evening, however,
late in October, as he was sitting over some rum with the storekeeper,
the latter remarked, in a casual way, that the doctor had advised that
his daughter Desire, who had not been well of late, should take a trip
to Pittsfield for her health, and as if it were something quite
casual, asked Perez to have the kindness to make out a pass for her to
go the next day. As the Squire made this request, speaking as if it
were a mere matter of course, Perez was in the act of raising a glass
of liquor to his lips. He gave Edwards one glance, very slowly set
down the untasted beverage, and without a word of reply or of parting
salutation, got up and went out. The moment he was gone the door
connecting the living-rooms with the back of the store, softly opened,
and Mrs. Edwards and Desire entered.
"Did you get it?" asked the latter.
"Get it," replied Edwards in disgust, "I should think not. He looked
at me like a wolf when I spoke of it. I had some notion that he would
stick his hanger through my stomach, but he thought better of that and
got up and stalked out without so much as winking at me.
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