When Samuel Johnson left, he ran into Mrs. Johnson, who had just come up after dinner, at the corner.
Seeing Samuel Johnson, Mrs. Johnson was also startled, and her eyes immediately caught the blood scab on his face and the five finger marks. She was in utter disbelief, stepped forward, took Samuel's hand, and asked with heartache, "Samuel, what happened to your face? Who hit you?"
Samuel himself was already vexed; hearing his own mother's question made it even worse for him. He touched his face and winced in pain. Amanda Smith truly did not hold back at all. The imprint of her palm surely wouldn't fade for a few days.
He pulled his hand away from Mrs. Johnson's grasp and said with some coldness, "I'm going to my room."
And he didn't answer Mrs. Johnson's question.
But Mrs. Johnson was no fool, and carefully piecing together where Samuel said he was going after dinner, she knew. And knowing made her all the more shocked.
"She actually dared to hit you?"