Putney stopped with his wife and boy and waited for Annie at the corner
of the street where their ways parted. She had eluded Lyra Wilmington in
coming down the aisle, and she had hurried to escape the sensation which
broke into eager talk among the people before they got out of church, and
which began with question whether one of the Gerrish children was sick, and
ended in the more satisfactory conviction that Mr. Gerrish was offended at
something in the sermon.

"Well, Annie," said Putney, with a satirical smile.

"Oh, Ralph--Ellen--what does it mean?"

"It means that Brother Gerrish thought Mr. Peck was hitting at him in
that talk about the large commerce, and it means business," said Putney.
"Brother Gerrish has made a beginning, and I guess it's the beginning of
the end, unless we're all ready to take hold against him. What are you
going to do?"

"Do? Anything! Everything! It was abominable! It was atrocious!" she
shuddered out with disgust. "How could he imagine that Mr. Peck would do
such a thing?"

"Well, he's imagined it. But he doesn't mean to stay out of church; he
means to put Brother Peck out."

"We mustn't let him. That would be outrageous."

"That's the way Ellen and I feel about it," said Putney; "but we don't know
how much of a party there is with us."