Thurston naturally appropriated to his own efforts.His long tapering fingers were not so clean as they might have been, but this did not prevent him from waving them in the air and pointing them at imaginary Putney citizens whom he evoked in support of his statements.
"We 'ad a reelly thumpin' meeting on Thursday--Town Hall--One for the women in the small 'all hand one for the men in the Main Hall.
Almost no opposition you might say, and when it came to the Hymn singing it fairly took the roof off.A lot of 'em stopped afterwards--one lad of eighteen or so is coming over to us 'ere.
Butcher's apprentice.Says 'e's felt the Lord pressing him a long way back but the flesh held him.Might work him up into a very useful lad with the Lord's help.Thank you, Mrs.Warlock, I will try a bit more of that cold beef if you don't mind.Pretty place, Putney.Ever been there, Mr.Warlock? Ah, you should go--"Amy Warlock listened with the greatest interest; otherwise, it must be confessed, Mr.Thurston's audience was somewhat inattentive.Mr.
Warlock's mind was obviously elsewhere; he passed his hand through his beard, his eyes staring at the table-cloth.Mr.Thurston, noticing this, tried another topic.
"What 'ave you heard, Mrs.Warlock, about the new Miss Cardinal? I'aven't seen her yet myself."
Mrs.Warlock, who had just given herself a little piece of beef, some potato and some spinach, and was arranging these delicacies with the greatest care upon her plate, just smiled without raising her eyes.Amy answered--"I've seen her.I was there this afternoon.I can't say that I found her very interesting.Plain-ugly in fact.She never opened her mouth all the afternoon.Caroline Smith tells me that she knows nothing at all, seen nothing, been nowhere.Bad-tempered I should think.""Dear, dear," said Mr.Thurston with a gratified sigh, "is it so reelly?"Martin looked across at his sister indignantly."Trust one woman about another," he said."Just because she doesn't chatter like a magpie you concluded she's got nothing to say.It's even conceivable that she found you dull, Amy."Amy looked at him with a strange penetrating glance that in some undefined way increased his irritation."It's quite possible," she said quietly."But I don't think even you, Martin, can call her handsome.As to her intelligence, she never gave me a chance of judging.""I've been there several times," said Martin hotly."I like her immensely." He felt as soon as he had spoken that it had been a foolish thing to say.He saw Mr.Thurston smile.In the pause that followed he felt as though he had with a gesture of the hand flung a stone into a pool of chatter and scandal whose ripples might spread far beyond his control.At that moment he hated his sister.