It was scarcely an hour later when Atlantic and Pacific were brought
in by an officer, very dirty and dishevelled, but gay and
irresponsible as larks, nonchalant, amiable, and unrepentant. As
Rhoda had prophesied, there had been no difficulty in finding them;
and as everybody had prophesied, once found there had not been a
second's delay in delivery. Moved by fiery hatred of the police
matron, who had illustrated justice more than mercy, and illustrated
it with the back of a hair-brush on their reversed persons; lured
also by two popcorn balls, a jumping-jack, and a tin horse, they
accepted the municipal escort with alacrity; and nothing was ever
jauntier than the manner in which Pacific, all smiles and molasses,
held up her sticky lips for an expected salute--an unusual offer
which was respectfully declined as a matter of discipline.
Mary longed for Rhoda's young minister in the next half-hour, which
she devoted to private spiritual instruction. Psychology proved
wholly unequal to the task of fathoming the twins, and she fancied
that theology might have been more helpful. Their idea seemed to be-
-if the rudimentary thing she unearthed from their consciousness
could be called an idea--that they would not mind repenting if they
could see anything of which to repent.
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