now I'm cured," he said, looking at her full.

She chose to ignore the implication.

Evan began leading up to a desire that he had not yet dared to express.
"My partner said you were a singer," he said.

"Have you been discussing me?" she said with an affronted air.

"Why, yes. Nothing so exciting as your coming ever happened in this
old house."

"I teach singing," she said carelessly.

"Won't you sing me a song?"

She decisively shook her head. "Not to-night."

"But why?"

"Dozens of reasons. One is enough; I don't feel like it."

"To-morrow night, then?"

"Aren't you taking a good deal for granted?"

"But you said not to-night. That suggests another night."

"Oh, one doesn't weigh every word."

"Well, I'll be listening out to-morrow night on the chance."

For some reason this annoyed her excessively. A bright little spot
appeared on each cheek-bone. "Then you'll force me to keep silent
however I feel."

"Why--what's the matter?" said Evan blankly.

"You imply that if I happen to sing you will regard it as an invitation
to come down here."

"Why, I never thought of such a thing," he said in dismay.

His honesty was so unquestionable that she got angry all over again,
because she had made the mistake of imputing such a thought to him.
Indeed a disinterested observer could not but have seen that some
perverse little imp was playing the devil with this charming girl.
Angry at him or angry at herself--or both, she had ceased to be
mistress of the situation and her forces were thrown into confusion.
Whatever she said, it instantly occurred to her that it was the wrong
thing to say.

"You're spoiled like all the rest," she said. "A woman cannot be
decently civil to you, but you immediately begin to presume upon it."
This was said with a smile that was supposed to be tolerant, but she
was angry clear through, and of course it showed.

It was all a mystery to Evan. With a hand on the table he had just
moved, he was staring down at it as if he had discovered something of
absorbing interest in the grain of the wood. He knew she was
unreasonable, but he did not blame her; he was merely trying to think
how to accommodate himself to her unreasonableness; he was pretty sure
that whatever he might say would only make matters worse, so he kept
silent.

But no red-haired woman can endure silences either. "If you've nothing
further to say you'd better go," she said at last.

"I was wondering wha