Kate, intent on restoring harmony, arched her neck coyly, and said in her most bewitching tones--the notes of a robin after a shower: “Well, I can't tell yet, Mr. Willits, but you shall have one or the other; just leave it to me--either the reel or the schottische. We will talk it over when I come down.”
“Then it's the reel, Miss Kate, is it not?” he cried, ignoring Harry completely, backing away as he retraced his steps, a look of triumph on his face.
She shook her head at him, but she did not answer. She wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible. Willits had spoiled everything. She was so happy before he came, and Harry was so adorable. She wished now she had not drawn away her cheek when he tried to kiss her.
“Don't be angry, Harry, dear,” she pleaded coaxingly, determined to get her lover back once more. “He didn't mean anything--he only wanted to be polite.”
“He didn't want to be polite,” the angry lover retorted. “He meant to force himself in between us; that is what he meant, and he's always at it, every chance he gets. He tried it at Mrs. Cheston's the other night until I put a stop to it, but there's one thing certain--he'll stop it when our engagement is announced after supper or I'll know the reason why.”
Kate caught her breath. A new disturbing thought entered her mind. It was at Mrs. Cheston's that both Willits and Harry had misbehaved themselves, and it was Harry's part in the sequel which she had forgiven. The least said about that night the better.
“But he is your guest, Harry,” she urged at last, still determined to divert his thoughts from Willits and the loss of the dance--“OUR guest,” she went on--“so is everybody else here to-night, and we must do what everybody wants us to, not be selfish about it. Now, my darling--you couldn't be impolite to anybody--don't you know you couldn't? Mrs. Cheston calls you 'My Lord Chesterfield'--I heard her say so to-night.”
“Yes, I know, Kate”--he softened--“that's what father said about my being polite to him--but all the same I didn't want Willits invited, and it's only because father insisted that he's here. Of course, I'm going to be just as polite to him as I can, but even father would feel differently about him if he had heard what he said to you a minute ago.”