"
"She will," protested Dinah. "She knows how to flirt without being
caught. I don't."
"Thank the gods for that!" said Scott with fervour. "So he tried to
flirt, did he? And you objected. Was that it?"
"Something like that," murmured Dinah, with hot face averted.
"Then in heaven's name, continue to object!" he said, with unusual
vehemence. "You did the right thing, child. Don't be drawn into doing
what others do! Strike out a straight line for yourself, and stick to it!
Above all, don't be ashamed of sticking to it! No woman was ever yet the
better or the more attractive for cultivating her talent for flirting.
Don't you know that it is your very genuineness and straightforwardness
that is your charm?"
Dinah looked at him in sheer surprise. "I haven't got any charm," she
said. "That's just the trouble. It was only my dancing that made your
brother fancy I had last night."
Scott's frown deepened, became almost formidable, then suddenly vanished
in a laugh. "That's just your point of view," he said. "Perhaps it's a
pity to open your eyes. But whatever you do, don't try to humour my
brother's whims! It would be very bad for him, and you certainly wouldn't
gain anything by it. Put up with me for a change, and come to tea
instead!"
A flash of gaiety gleamed for a moment in Dinah's eyes. It was the first
he had seen that morning. "I'll come," she said, "if Lady Grace will let
me.
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