"Oh, I do not presume to rival Hamilton," began Dick hotly, but she silenced him.
"Listen to me, you foolish Dick! I would have danced with you, and willingly, but I knew my duty better, or rather I knew yours. You were a public man to-day; the eyes of the county were upon you. You had to pay court to the big ladies, and to take no notice of poor little me. I sent you away for your own good, and because I valued your duty above my pleasure," continued this heroic young person, in a perfectly satisfied tone.
"And you wanted to dance with me, Nan, and not with that goose of a Hamilton?" in a wheedling voice.
"Yes, Dick; but he is not a goose for all that: he is more of a swan in my opinion."
"He is a conceited ass!" was the very unexpected reply, which was a little hard on Dick's chum, who was in many ways a most estimable young man and vastly his superior. "Why are you laughing, when you know I hate prigs? and Hamilton is about the biggest I ever knew." But this did not mend matters, and Nan's laugh still rang merrily in the darkness.
"What are those two doing?" asked Phillis, trying to peep between the lilac-bushes, but failing to discover more than the white glimmer of Nan's shawl.
Nan's laugh, though it was full of sweet triumph, only irritated Dick; the lord of the evening was still too sore and humiliated by all these rebuffs and repulses to take the fun in good part.
"What is it that amuses you so?" he asked, rather crossly. "That is the worst of you girls; you are always so ready to make merry at a fellow's expense. You are taking Hamilton's part against me, Nan,--I, who am your oldest friend, who have always been faithful to you ever since you were a child," continued the young man, with a growing sense of aggravation.
"Oh, Dick!" and Nan's voice faltered a little; she was rather touched at this.
Dick took instant note of the change of key, and went on in the same injured voice:
"Why should I look after all the big people and take no notice of you? Have I not made it my first duty to look after you as long as I can remember? Though the whole world were about us, would you not be the first and the principal to me?"
"Don't, Dick," she said, faintly, trying to repress him; "you must not talk in that way, and I must not listen to you; your father would not like it." The words were sweet to her,--precious beyond everything,--but she must not have him speak them. But Dick, in his angry excitement, was not to be repressed.