Had he done all that it was in him to do to bridge the gap between Ruth
and himself? That was what his conscience had wanted to know. The
answer was in the negative. On the following day, just before Bailey's
call, he accordingly sought Ruth out, and--rather nervously, for Ruth
made him feel nervous nowadays--suggested that he and she and William
Bannister should take the air in each other's company and go and feed
the squirrels in the park.
Ruth declined. It is possible that she declined somewhat curtly. The
day was close and oppressive, and she had a headache and a general
feeling of ill-will toward her species. Also, in her heart, she
considered that the scheme proposed smacked too much of Sunday
afternoon domesticity in Brooklyn. The idea of papa, mamma, and baby
sporting together in a public park offended her sense of the social
proprieties.
She did not reveal these thoughts to Kirk because she was more than a
little ashamed of them. A year ago, she knew, she would not have
objected to the idea. A year ago such an expedition would have been a
daily occurrence with her. Now she felt if William Bannister wished to
feed squirrels, Mamie was his proper companion.
She could not put all this baldly to Kirk, so she placed the burden of
her refusal on the adequate shoulders of Lora Delane Porter. Aunt Lora,
she said, would never hear of William Bannister wandering at large in
such an unhygienic fashion.
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