Brewster agreed that it was curious, and helped himself to another cake.
“I suppose,” said Roland, “that a fellow like you knows a good deal about girls?”
Brewster shook his head. The subject presented few attractions to him.
“No,” he said, “I don’t really know anything at all about them. I haven’t got a sister.”
“But you don’t learn about girls from your sister.”
“Perhaps not. But if you haven’t got a sister you don’t run much chance of seeing anyone else’s. We don’t know any decent ones. A few of my friends have sisters, but they seem pretty fair asses. I keep out of their way.”
“That’s rather funny, you know, because you’re the sort of fellow that girls run after.”
As Roland had been discussing for some time the ugliness of the type of man that appealed most to girls, this was hardly a compliment. Brewster did not notice it, however. Indeed, he evinced no great interest in the conversation. He was enjoying his tea.
“Oh, I don’t think I am,” he said. “At any rate none of them have run after me, so far.”
“That’s all you know,” said Roland, and his voice assumed a tone that made Brewster look up quickly.
“Well, I know someone who is doing their best to.”
Brewster flushed; the hand that was carrying a cream cake to his mouth paused in mid air.
Roland had at last succeeded in arousing Brewster’s curiosity, and he was wise enough to refrain from satisfying it at once. If he were to tell him that a girl down town had wanted to go for a walk with him, Brewster would have laughed and probably thought no more about it. He would have to fan his interest till Brewster’s imagination had had time to play upon the idea.
“She’s very pretty,” Roland said, “and she asked me who you were. She was awfully keen to meet you, but I told her that it was no good and that you wouldn’t care for that sort of thing. She was very disappointed.”
“I’m not going to tell you that. Why should I give her away?”
“No; I’m jolly well not going to. It’s her secret. You don’t want to meet her, do you?”
“No,” Brewster grudgingly admitted; “but I’d like to know.”
“I daresay you would, but I’m not going to give away a confidence. Suppose you told me that you were keen on a girl and that you’d heard she wouldn’t have anything to do with anyone, you wouldn’t like me to go and tell her who you were, would you?” “No.”