"Well, instead of sitting it out," she said, rising, "let us go and get a cup of bouillon. I feel the need of something to hold me up."
"Here is your favor," remarked Stanford, as they pa.s.sed down the hall.
It was an absurd j.a.panese monster, with eyes goggling out of its head.
"How horrible!" cried Berenice. "It looks exactly like old Christopher Plant when he is talking about his last invention in sauces. Don"t you know the way in which he sticks out his eyes, and says: "It is the greatest misfortune in nature that the nerves of taste do not extend all the way down to the stomach!""
Stanford laughed gleefully.
"Jove, I don"t know but he"s right. Think of tasting a c.o.c.ktail all the way down to the stomach!"
"Or a quinine pill!" returned she with a grimace. "Thank you, no.
Things are bad enough as they are."
At the door of the supper-room they encountered Dr. Wilson, with a bud on his arm.
"Well, Miss Morison," he exclaimed, with his usual jovial brusqueness, "I thought that my wife was the cheekiest woman in Boston, but you ran her hard to-night."
"Oh, even if I surpa.s.sed her," Berenice retorted in sudden anger, yet forcing herself to speak laughingly, "she is entirely safe to leave the reputation of the family in the hands of her husband."
Dr. Wilson chuckled with perfect good-nature.
"Oh, we men are not in it with the women," laughed he.
He pa.s.sed on with his companion, and Berenice, with feminine perversity, avenged herself upon the girl he was escorting.
"How stout Miss Harding is," she commented. "It is such a pity for a bud."
"But she is pretty," Stanford returned.
"Oh, yes, in a way. She has the face of an overripe cherub."
He laughed and led her to a seat.
"Take your picture of Mr. Plant," said he, "and I will get you the bouillon."
"No, I can"t have anything so hideous. Give me one of yours instead.
I"ll have that little fat monk."
"All that I have is at your service," he responded with seriousness sounding through the mock gravity, as he unpinned the little mask and put it into her hand.
"Thank you, but I don"t ask your all. I hope that you didn"t value this especially."
"Not that I remember. I haven"t an idea who gave it to me."
"You don"t seem to value a gift on account of the giver."
"That depends," returned he. "Now there are some givers whose favors I cherish most carefully."
He took from his breast-pocket a little Greek flag of silk, neatly folded. Berenice flushed, recognizing a favor which she had given him early in the evening.
"Now this," he said, "I put away next to my heart, you observe."
"The giver would be flattered," Berenice observed. "Was it Clare Tophaven?"
He looked at her, laughing; then seemed to reflect.
"I don"t know that it is right to tell you," he returned; "but if you won"t mention it, I"ll confide to you that it must have been Miss Tophaven. Sweet girl."
"Very. Are congratulations in order?" Berenice inquired.
She was pleased that the talk had taken this bantering tone, and secretly determined to keep it away from dangerous seriousness.
"Somewhat premature, I should say," Stanford replied. "You see she has no suspicion of my devotion, and her engagement to Fred Springer is to come out next week."
The bit of gossip served Berenice well. She had heard it already, but it was easy to feign surprise, and to chat lightly about the match, as if she had not a thought beyond it in her mind. To her amazement and disconcerting Stanford cut through the light talk to demand with sudden gravity:--
"And when may our engagement be announced, Berenice?"
She regarded him with startled eyes, but she held herself well in hand, managing to use the same jesting tone in which she had been speaking.
"Certainly not before it exists," was her answer.
He leaned toward her eagerly. The room was almost deserted, and they sat in the shelter of a great palm, so that she felt herself to be alone with him.
"Don"t try to put me off," he pleaded. "I am in earnest."
She rose quickly, setting her cup down in the tub of the palm.
"Come," she said, "you forget that I am dancing the german with Mr. Van Sandt. He will have no idea what has become of me."
Stanford stood before her, barring her way.
"Hang Van Sandt! You should be dancing with me, only I had to do the polite to this everlasting English girl. I wish she was in Australia. I wonder why in the world an English girl is never able to learn to dance."
"That I cannot answer. Perhaps their feet are too big; but you must go back to her all the same, whether she can dance or not."
"Not until you answer me. You know you are keeping me on hot coals, Berenice. You know I love you."
She flushed, drew back, grew pale.
"I have answered you already," she replied, hurriedly but firmly. "Why must you make me say it again? I don"t love you, and that is reason enough why you shouldn"t care for me."
"It isn"t any reason at all. I should be fond of you anyway. Why, even if you made a guy of me before everybody as you did to-night of that clerical thing"--
"Stop!" Berenice interrupted, her color rising and her eyes shining. "I will not have you speak of Mr. Wynne in that way. What I did was bad enough."
"Berenice," demanded Stanford, regarding her keenly, "do you mean to marry _him_?"