“Now, ladies,” said Mrs. Faulkner, “in my opinion, the thing for us to do is to go to see Maria Port; tell her what we think of her; and have all this wickedness stopped.”

Without debate it was unanimously agreed that the president’s plan should be carried out.  And within ten minutes the whole Dorcas Society of eleven members started out in double file to visit the house of Maria Port.

CHAPTER XXXV

The Dorcas on Guard.

Miss Port had not been home very long and was up in her bedroom, which looked out on the street, when she heard the sound of many feet, and, hurrying to the window, and glancing through the partly open shutters, she saw that a company of women were entering the gate into her front yard.  She did not recognize them, because she was not familiar with the tops of their hats; and besides, she was afraid she might be seen if she stopped at the window; so she hurried to the stairway and listened.  There were two great knocks at the door—­entirely too loud—­and when the servant-maid appeared she heard a voice which she recognized as that of Mrs. Faulkner inquiring for her.  Instantly she withdrew into her chamber and waited, her countenance all alertness.

When the maid came up to inform her that Mrs. Faulkner and a lot of ladies were down-stairs, and wanted to see her, Miss Port knit her brows, and shut her lips tightly.  She could not connect this visit of so many Glenford ladies with anything definite; and yet her conscience told her that their business in some way concerned Captain Asher.  He had had time to see them, and now they had come to see her; probably to induce her to relinquish her claims upon him.  As this thought came into her mind she grew angry at their impudence, and, seating herself in a rocking-chair, she told the servant to inform the ladies that she had just reached home, and that it was not convenient for her to receive them at present.

Mrs. Faulkner sent hack a message that, in that case, they would wait; and all the ladies seated themselves in the Port parlor.

“The impudence!” said Miss Port to herself; “but if they like waitin,’ they can wait, I guess they’ll get enough of it!”

So Maria Port sat in her room and the ladies sat in the parlor below; and they sat, and they sat, and they sat, and at last it began to grow dark.

“I guess they’ll be wantin’ their suppers,” said Maria, “but they’ll go and get them without seein’ me.  It’s no more convenient for me to go down now than when they first came.”

There had been, and there was, a great deal of conversation down in the parlor, but it was carried on in such a low tone that, to her great regret, Miss Port could not catch a word of it.

“Now,” said Mrs. Pilsbury, “I must go home, for my husband will want his supper and the children must be attended to.”

“And so must I,” said Mrs. Barney and Mrs. Sloan.  They would really like very much to stay and see what would happen next, but they had families.