you thought when you first saw me?"

"Yes, I know I was right when I thought it."

"You haven't told me what you thought."

"I thought you were like what you ARE like."

"Not very definite, is it? I'm afraid you shed more light a
minute or so ago, when you said how different from Mildred you
thought I was. That WAS definite, unfortunately!"

"I didn't say it," Russell explained. "I thought it, and you
read my mind. That's the sort of girl I thought you were--one
that could read a man's mind. Why do you say 'unfortunately'
you're not like Mildred?"

Alice's smooth gesture seemed to sketch Mildred. "Because she's
perfect--why, she's PERFECTLY perfect! She never makes a
mistake, and everybody looks up to her--oh, yes, we all fairly
adore her! She's like some big, noble, cold statue--'way above
the rest of us--and she hardly ever does anything mean or
treacherous. Of all the girls I know I believe she's played the
fewest really petty tricks. She's----"

Russell interrupted; he looked perplexed. "You say she's
perfectly perfect, but that she does play SOME----"

Alice laughed, as if at his sweet innocence. "Men are so funny!"
she informed him. "Of course girls ALL do mean things sometimes.