Lington was to all outward seeming serenely intent
on his hymn-book. No amount of interrogatory glaring on the
part of the despoiled lady could bring the least shade of
conscious guilt to his face.
``Worse was to follow,'' as she remarked afterwards to a
scandalized audience of friends and acquaintances. ''I had
scarcely knelt in prayer when a lozenge, one of _my_ lozenges,
came whizzing into the pew, just under my nose. I turned
round and stared, but Mr. Lington had his eyes closed and
his lips moving as though engaged in prayer. The moment I
resumed my devotions another lozenge came rattling in, and
then another. I took no notice for a while, and then turned
round suddenly just as the dreadful man was about to flip
another one at me. He hastily pretended to be turning over
the leaves of his book but I was not to be taken in that
time. He saw that he had been discovered and no more
lozenges came. Of course I have changed my pew.''
``No gentleman would have acted in such a disgraceful
manner,'' said one of her listeners; ``and yet Mr. Lington
used to be so respected by everybody. He seems to have
behaved like a little ill-bred schoolboy.
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