turn," he
told her.

"Yes; he has this afternoon, at least," she said. "I might have other
reasons for looking cheerful, though."

"For instance?"

"Exactly!" she said, giving him a sweet look just enough mocked by her
laughter. "For instance!"

"Well, go on," he begged.

"Isn't it expected?" she asked.

"Of you, you mean?"

"No," she returned. "For you, I mean!"

In this style, which uses a word for any meaning that quick look and
colourful gesture care to endow it with, she was an expert; and she
carried it merrily on, leaving him at liberty (one of the great values
of the style) to choose as he would how much or how little she meant. He
was content to supply mere cues, for although he had little coquetry of
his own, he had lately begun to find that the only interesting moments
in his life were those during which Alice Adams coquetted with him.
Happily, these obliging moments extended themselves to cover all
the time he spent with her. However serious she might seem, whatever
appeared to be her topic, all was thou-and-I.

He planned for more of it, seeing otherwise a dull evening ahead; and
reverted, afterwhile, to a forbidden subject. "About that dance at Miss
Lamb's--since your father's so much better----"

She flushed a little. "Now, now!" she chided him. "We agreed not to say
any more about that."

"Yes, but since he IS better----"

Alice shook her head. "He won't be better to-morrow. He always has a bad
day after a good one especially after such a good one as this is."

"But if this time it should be different," Russell persisted; "wouldn't
you be willing to come if he's better by to-morrow evening? Why not wait
and decide at the last minute?"

She waved her hands airily. "What a pother!" she cried. "What does it
matter whether poor little Alice Adams goes to a dance or not?"

"Well, I thought I'd made it clear that it looks fairly bleak to me if
you don't go."

"Oh, yes!" she jeered.

"It's the simple truth," he insisted. "I don't care a great deal about
dances these days; and if you aren't going to be there----"

"You could stay away," she suggested. "You wouldn't!"

"Unfortunately, I can't. I'm afraid I'm supposed to be the excuse. Miss
Lamb, in her capacity as a friend of my relatives----"

"Oh, she's giving it for YOU! I see! On Mildred's account you mean?"

At that his face showed an increase of colour. "I suppose just on
account of my being a cousin of Mildred's and of----"

"