She had not even spoken to him since Dan had called her pig-girl . He was glad when they came to the parting of the ways . Faith , too , was relieved , though for a different reason . She wanted to be alone because she suddenly felt rather nervous about her errand . Impulse had cooled , especially since Dan had bruised her self-respect . She must go through with it , but she no longer had enthusiasm to sustain her . She was going to see Norman Douglas and ask him to come back to church , and she began to be afraid of him . What had seemed so easy and simple up at the Glen seemed very different down here . She had heard a good deal about Norman Douglas , and she knew that even the biggest boys in school were afraid of him . Suppose he called her something nasty -- she had heard he was given to that . Faith could not endure being called names -- they subdued her far more quickly than a physical blow . But she would go on -- Faith Meredith always went on . If she did not her father might have to leave the Glen . At the end of the long lane Faith came to the house -- a big , old-fashioned one with a row of soldierly Lombardies marching past it . On the back veranda Norman Douglas himself was sitting , reading a newspaper . His big dog was beside him . Behind , in the kitchen , where his housekeeper , Mrs. Wilson , was getting supper , there was a clatter of dishes -- an angry clatter , for Norman Douglas had just had a quarrel with Mrs. Wilson , and both were in a very bad temper over it . Consequently , when Faith stepped on the veranda and Norman Douglas lowered his newspaper she found herself looking into the choleric eyes of an irritated man . Norman Douglas was rather a fine-looking personage in his way . He had a sweep of long red beard over his broad chest and a mane of red hair , ungrizzled by the years , on his massive head .
His high , white forehead was unwrinkled and his blue eyes could flash still with all the fire XXXXX his tempestuous youth .
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