"Here's a sovereign," he said, "to buy a ribbon. It can't make you
prettier, but may it make you kinder when next we meet!"

He flung the coin as though he expected me to catch it, but, of course,
I made no effort to do so and it fell on the ground and rolled away into
a heap of dead leaves. No matter what happened I could not have kept
myself from kicking at it contemptuously with my foot where it lay.

"Not enough, eh?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "Would
five do?"

I stared at him and the colour flamed in my cheeks.

"Why, you are prettier than ever," he said. "If you look at me like that
much longer I shall be obliged to kiss you, although I would rather wait
till you came offering me a kiss. Pretty spitfire! Where have they been
hiding you? I had no idea, till I saw you the other day at the Creamery,
that there was anything so pretty hereabouts. I generally find out what
there is delectable in the way of femininity before I am forty-eight
hours in a place. You have no idea of what an adorable little modesty
you looked with your white arms plunged in the milk. You took the shine
out of the ladies, my dear."

I could only look at him with steady animosity, while my hand on her
collar kept poor Dido in check. I saw that he took me for a peasant girl
and I was not minded to enlighten him. I was going away; and perhaps
before I came back he would be gone again on his travels, for I had
always heard that he was wild and a rover and could not be persuaded to
settle down and live at Damerstown although his father and mother were
most anxious that he should. My heartfelt desire at the moment was that