I think it's simply horrid of her to do it.
But she says she can't help being beautiful. Oh, how I wish--" Dinah
broke off.
"What do you wish?" said Scott.
She turned her face away to hide a blush. "You must think me very silly
and childish. So I am, but I'm not generally so. I think it's in the air
here. I was going to say, how I wished I could outshine her for just one
night! Isn't that piggy of me? But I am so tired of being always in the
shade. She called me 'Poor little Dinah!' only to-night. How would you
like to be called that?"
"Most people call me Stumpy," observed Scott, with his whimsical little
smile.
"How rude of them! How horrid of them!" said Dinah. "And do you actually
put up with it?"
He bent with her over the jewel-case, and picked out the coral chain. "I
don't care the toss of a halfpenny," he said.
She gave him a quick, searching glance. "Not really? Not in your secret
heart?"
"Not in the deepest depth of my unfathomable soul," he declared.
"Then you're a great man," said Dinah, with conviction.
Scott's laugh was one of genuine amusement. "Oh, does that follow? I've
never seen myself in that light before."
But Dinah was absolutely serious and remained so. There was even a touch
of reverence in her look. "You evidently don't know yourself in the
least," she said. "Anyhow, you've made me feel a downright toad."
"I don't know why," said Scott.
Pages:
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47