She turned, startled at the sound of his voice, looked at him, and looked at once away.
"Oh ... yes, indeed. I--am waiting for Mr. Hare now. Jenny, are you sure you haven't seen him come out?"
"Yessum," said Jenny, her eyes all for the tall stranger.
Unable to resist their imploring appeal, he turned at once and delivered his burden.
"Ice-cream--lemonade--" he made inventory--"cake with icing--tin spoon--paper napkin in my pocket. Is there anything else?"
"I think," said Jenny, conscientiously, "there's figs."
"You do not wish any figs to-night, Jenny," declared Miss Carstairs, rather more severely than mere figs seemed to warrant.
"_No'm!_ I thought maybe he might want some."
"I doubt if I'll take any figs to-night, either," laughed Varney. "But mayn't I get something for you, Miss Carstairs? I'm happy to say that the chocolate is holding out better than we feared."
"Thank you," she said, apparently addressing the child, "I don't believe I wish anything."
Jenny here produced and handed around a small, rather dangerous-looking paper-bag, which proved, upon investigation, to contain marshmallows. Miss Carstairs declined. Varney, to show how unimpeachable he considered his standing with the party, gratefully accepted.
"I'm afraid," he said, looking at Miss Carstairs, "that Mr. Hare's admirers are likely to detain him some time. If you don't care to wait so long, perhaps you would again give me the pleasure of supplanting him and taking you home--you and Miss--Miss Jenny?"
"No, thank you--I am sure he will be out soon ... You look awfully trampled on and--mashed, Jenny," she continued, twitching the child's hat on straight. "And _my dear! Don't_ eat so fast."
Despite himself, Varney felt his blood rising a little. "Miss Carstairs," he said slowly, "I must tell you that I came with Miss Jenny on purpose to see you. There is something that I wanted to say."
She raised her eyes then, and though their look was very young and embarrassed, he felt himself lose something of his composure under it.
"A good deal. I have an explanation to make--"
"I'm afraid that I have not time to--listen--Mr. Hare--"
"You must listen--to be fair," he said slowly. "I have to blame myself for it, but you are doing me an injustice at this moment. I am not--that man."
