"Well, put it any way you like. If she's interested in you, that's all
I want," Stanton went on, in his rough way. "You'll have a pull on her
through the church racket, I suppose."
Melissa looked at him with pain and disgust in her eyes. She always
shrank from Orin's rough coarseness; and she always felt helpless
before him. She made no reply, but played nervously with the pen she
had laid down upon his entrance. He regarded her curiously.
"You see," he said, with a clumsy attempt at easy familiarity, "Mrs.
Fenton's a niece of Mr. Calvin, who is on the statue committee. Mrs.
Frostwinch says Mr. Calvin's the man who has most influence in the
committee, and it occurred to me that it would be a good thing if you'd
put Mrs. Fenton up to taking my part with Calvin. You see," he
continued, in an offhand manner, "artists don't get any show nowadays
unless they keep their eyes open, and I mean to be wide awake. I'm
ready to do a good turn, too, for anybody that helps me. John told me
the other day that you and he had had a row, and if you can do me a
good turn in this, I may be able to pay you by smoothing John down."
Milly flushed painfully. Her delicacy was outraged, but, too, her
combative instinct was roused to defend her lover.
"John and I haven't quarrelled," she said, in a voice a little raised;
"he is worried about the debts and that makes him out of sorts,
sometimes, that is all.
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