pausing in his walk.

"Go ahead! I'm listening," said Ben.

Tom was rather annoyed at the want of respect which, in his opinion,
Ben showed him, but hardly knew how to express his objections, so he
came at once to the business in hand.

"You'd better not hang around Rose Gardiner so much," he said
superciliously.

"What do you mean by that?" demanded Ben quickly.

"You forced your attentions on her last evening at the Town Hall."

"Who told you so?"

"I saw it for myself."

"I thought Rose didn't tell you so."

"It must be disagreeable to her family to have a common grocer's boy
seen with her."

"It seems to me you take a great deal of interest in the matter, Tom
Davenport. You talk as if you were the guardian of the young lady. I
believe you wanted to go home with her yourself."

"It would have been far more suitable, but you had made her promise to
go with you."