Tell her, too, that when
she wishes to communicate with me, she must choose some other
messenger besides you, you impudent, grovelling little earthworm!
Get out of my sight, or you will unfit me for my classes!'
Mrs. Grubb was fairly superb as she launched these thunderbolts of
invective; the staircase her rostrum, her left hand poised
impressively on the baluster, and the three snaky strands of brown
hair that had writhed out of the waving-pins hissing Medusa-wise on
each side of her bead.
Rhoda was considerably taken aback by the sudden and violent slamming
of the door of No. 1 Eden Place, and she felt an unwelcome misgiving
as to her wisdom in bringing Mrs. Grubb face to face with truth. Her
rage had somewhat subsided by the time she reached Mistress Mary's
side, for she had stopped on the way to ask a policeman to telephone
the various stations for news of the lost children, and report at
once to her. 'There is one good thing,' she thought: 'wherever they
may be, their light cannot be hid any more than that of a city that
is set on a hill. There will be plenty of traces of their journey,
for once seen they are never forgotten. Nobody but a hero would
think of kidnapping them, and nobody but an idiot would expect a
ransom for them!'
'I hope you didn't upbraid Mrs.
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