I tried to pump Faith , but all I could get out of her was that Mrs. Davis had come , seemingly in high good humour , to see her father , and had left in an awful rage , calling them all ` varmints ! ' '' `` Varmints , indeed ! '' said Susan furiously . `` Does Mrs. Alec Davis forget that her uncle on her mother 's side was suspected of poisoning his wife ? Not that it was ever proved , Mrs. Dr. dear , and it does not do to believe all you hear . But if I had an uncle whose wife died without any satisfactory reason , I would not go about the country calling innocent children varmints . '' `` The point is , '' said Miss Cornelia , `` that Mrs. Davis paid a large subscription , and how its loss is going to be made up is a problem . And if she turns the other Douglases against Mr. Meredith , as she will certainly try to do , he will just have to go . '' `` I do not think Mrs. Alec Davis is very well liked by the rest of the clan , '' said Susan . `` It is not likely she will be able to influence them . '' `` But those Douglases all hang together so . If you touch one , you touch all . We ca n't do without them , so much is certain . They pay half the salary . They are not mean , whatever else may be said of them . Norman Douglas used to give a hundred a year long ago before he left . '' `` What did he leave for ? '' asked Anne . `` He declared a member of the session cheated him in a cow deal . He has n't come to church for twenty years .
His wife used XXXXX come regular while she was alive , poor thing , but he never would let her pay anything , except one red cent every Sunday .
about against by for in of on that to without