friendly to-morrow evening."

Hal, with her quick, light gracefulness, crossed to him, and playfully
gave him a little shake.

"Dudley, you dear old idiot. I don't know about being reasonable, but
I can certainly be honest; and it's honest I'm going to be now. I
think it is almost a slur on Lorraine to mention a little, silly,
dolly-faced, conceited creature like Doris in the same breath; and as
for being friendly to her to-morrow evening, that's impossible, because
I shall not be here. I'm going to the Denisons, and I don't intend to
postpone it. You will have to write and tell her I am engaged."

Dudley's mouth quickly assumed the rigidity which denoted he was
greatly displeased, and his voice was frigid as he replied:

"You are very injust to Doris. You scarcely know her, and yet you
condemn her offhand: the fault you are always finding in me. As for
any comparison between her and Miss Vivian, it is very certain she
would not sell herself to a man, and then run away from him because
things did not turn out as she wanted them."

Hal turned away, with a slight shrug and a humorous expression as of
helplessness.

"We won't argue, _mon frère_, because, since you always read books
instead of people, you are not very well up in the subject. To put it
both candidly and vulgarly, I haven't any use for Doris Hayward at all.
Ethel I admire tremendously, though I don't think she likes me; and
Basil is a saint straight out of heaven, suffering martyrdom for no