"Don't then!" she retorted. "I never asked you to."

"What a lie!" said Billy, with all a brother's gallantry.

She threw him a sister's look of scorn and deigned no rejoinder. But in a
moment the incident was forgotten. "Oh, look there!" she suddenly
exclaimed. "Isn't that just like Rose de Vigne? She's always sure to
appropriate the most handsome man within sight. I've been watching that
man from my window. He is a perfect Apollo, and skates divinely. And now
she's got him!"

Deep disgust was audible in her voice. Billy looked up with a sideways
grin. "You don't suppose he'd look at a sparrow like you, do you?" he
said. "He prefers a swan, you bet."

"Be quiet, Billy!" commanded Dinah, making an ineffectual dig at him with
her foot. "I don't want him to look at me. I hate men. But it is too bad
the way Rose always chooses the best. It's just the same with everything.
And I long--oh, I do long sometimes--to cut her out!"

"I should myself," said Scott unexpectedly. "But why don't you. I'm sure
you could."

She threw him a whimsical smile. "I!" she said. "Why that's about as
likely as--" she stopped short in some confusion.

He laughed a little. "You mean I might as soon hope to cut out Apollo?
But the cases are not parallel, I assure you. Besides, Apollo happens to
be my brother, which makes a difference."