An unlucky impulse to hold her hand during one of his attempts to "try
her out" met with disaster. Miss Fowler snatched her hand away and, with
a look he never forgot, abruptly left him. "It's all off with her,"
ruminated Freddie, shivering slightly as an after effect of the icy
stare she had given him. "She's got it in for me, for some reason or
other. Wow! That was a frost! I feel it yet. Medcroft has played the
deuce helping me. I wonder if-- Hello! There's Katherine."

Freddie did some rapid-fire thinking in the next half-minute, with the
result that Constance Fowler was banished forever from his calculations
and Katherine Rodney restored to her own. So long as he could not
possibly win Constance he figured that he might just as well devote
himself to the girl he was virtually engaged to marry. Freddie's was a
convenient and adaptable constancy. Miss Fowler out of sight was also
out of mind; he descended upon Katherine with all of the old ardour
shining in his eyes. It was soon after Miss Rodney's conference with her
mother, and the young lady was off for a walk in the town.

"Hello, Katherine," called he, coming up from behind. "Shopping? Take me
along to carry the bundles. I want to begin now."

It was Miss Rodney's fancy to receive his advances with disdain. She
assumed a most unfriendly manner.

"Indeed?" with chilling irony. "And why, may I ask?"

Freddie was taken aback. This was most unexpected.

"Practice makes perfect," he said glibly. "Don't you want me to carry
'em, Kitty?" He said it almost tearfully.