And again her mother completed her thought for her.
"He has not lived a clean life, is what you wanted to say." Again Ruth nodded, and again a blush mantled her face.
"It is just that," she said.

"It has not been his fault, but he has played much with--" "With pitch ?" "Yes, with pitch.

And he frightens me.

Sometimes I am positively in terror of him, when he talks in that free and easy way of the things he has done--as if they did not matter.

They do matter, don't they ?" They sat with their arms twined around each other, and in the pause her mother patted her hand and waited for her to go on.
"But I am interested in him dreadfully," she continued.