Hoopdriver folded his arms and waited as Dangle and Phipps came back toward him.
Phipps looked embarrassed. He was still struggling to manage the tandem bicycle, which he was now pushing by hand.
Dangle, however, seemed ready for a fight.
“Miss Milton?” he asked sharply.
Hoopdriver simply bowed his head over his folded arms.
“Is Miss Milton inside?”
“She is,” Hoopdriver replied. “And she doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“You’re a scoundrel, sir.”
“At your service,” Hoopdriver said. “She’s waiting for her stepmother.”
Dangle hesitated.
“She’ll be here any moment.”
Then he looked behind him.
“And here comes her friend, Miss Mergle.”
Hoopdriver slowly unfolded his arms.
He put both hands into his pockets and tried to look completely calm.
Then he realized that the pose probably made him look like a common thug.
He quickly took one hand out.
Then he put it back.
With the other hand, he nervously pulled at his inadequate moustache.
Unfortunately, Miss Mergle saw all of this.
“Is this the man?” she asked Dangle.
Then she turned directly toward Hoopdriver.
“How dare you, sir?”
She stepped closer.
“How dare you show your face after what you’ve done to that poor girl?”
Hoopdriver tried to look dignified.
“Allow me to explain—”
Before he could finish, Miss Mergle suddenly shoved both hands into his stomach.
“Ugh!”
Hoopdriver stumbled backward and nearly fell into the hotel entrance.
“Let me pass!”
Miss Mergle marched toward the dining room.
“How dare you try to stop me?”
She pushed past him and disappeared into the dining room, where Jessie had gone for safety.
Hoopdriver grabbed the umbrella stand to keep himself upright.
Dangle and Phipps, shocked into action by Miss Mergle’s sudden attack, followed her inside.
Phipps turned angrily toward Hoopdriver.
“How dare you stop that lady?”
Hoopdriver stared at him stubbornly.
He said nothing.
A waiter appeared at the end of the hallway, watching the scene nervously.
Phipps stepped closer.
“Men like you are the reason people lose respect for men.”
Hoopdriver finally lost his patience.
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Who the hell are you?”
Phipps immediately fired back.
“Who are you?”
He pointed at Hoopdriver.
“That’s what we want to know.”
“What are you doing here with a young girl who isn’t even of age?”
“Don’t talk to him,” Dangle warned.
Hoopdriver glared at them.
“I’m not going to tell every stranger who attacks me all my private business.”
He stepped forward.
“Not likely.”
Then he added angrily:
“And that’s all you’re going to get from me.”
He and Phipps stood facing each other.
Their legs were planted wide apart.
Both men looked ready for a fight.
For a moment, it seemed that things might turn very ugly.
Then the tall clergyman appeared in the doorway.
He was still red-faced and overheated from his cycling adventure, but he looked surprisingly calm.
He glanced at Hoopdriver and Phipps.
Then he looked at Hoopdriver with open disgust.
“An absurd little relic of the past,” he muttered.
Apparently, he still disliked the idea of a clergyman riding anything less respectable than a three-wheeled machine.
He slowly raised one hand toward Hoopdriver.
“Tchak. Tchak. Tchak.”
He made the gesture three times.
Then he gave a final disgusted grunt.
“Ugh!”
Without another word, he walked into the dining room.
Miss Mergle’s voice could clearly be heard from inside.
“It is extremely hot today, even for this time of year.”
The clergyman’s obvious contempt completely destroyed what little confidence Hoopdriver had left.
Then another man appeared.
He was enormous.
It was Widgery.
He stared at Hoopdriver with a grim expression.
“Is this the man?”
He had deliberately lowered his voice to make himself sound even more threatening.
Mrs. Milton was with him.
She clasped her hands anxiously.
“Don’t hurt him!”
She looked at Widgery.
“Whatever terrible thing he has done, please don’t use violence.”
Hoopdriver glanced around at the growing crowd.
“How many of you are there?”
He backed toward the umbrella stand.
Mrs. Milton stepped forward.
“Where is Jessie?”
“What have you done with her?”
Hoopdriver straightened himself.
“I’m not going to stand here while a group of strangers insult me.”
He raised his voice.
“So don’t imagine that I’m going to let you push me around.”
Then Jessie suddenly appeared in the dining-room doorway.
Her face was completely pale.
“Please don’t worry, Mr. Hoopdriver.”
She looked at her stepmother.
“I’m here, Mother.”
Mrs. Milton cried out something about her daughter and rushed toward Jessie.
She grabbed her in an emotional embrace.
The two disappeared back into the dining room.
Widgery started to follow them.
Then he stopped and looked back at Hoopdriver.
“You’d better leave.”
Hoopdriver took a breath.
“I won’t.”
His voice shook slightly, but he stood his ground.
“I’m here to protect that young lady.”
Widgery stared at him.
“I think you’ve already caused her quite enough trouble.”
He turned and walked into the dining room.
Then he closed the door behind him.
Hoopdriver was left alone with Dangle and Phipps.
Phipps pointed toward the entrance.
“Get out.”
Hoopdriver looked at him.
“I shall do no such thing.”
He paused and tried to recover his dignity.
“I’m going to sit in the garden.”
He turned away.
“And that’s where I’ll stay.”
Dangle looked at Phipps.
“Don’t start another fight with him.”
Hoopdriver walked away toward the garden.
He had not been beaten.
He had not been arrested.
But as he left, his dignity was hanging by a very thin thread.
He was almost in tears.