"Good-morning, Hester."

Hester Paine was not particularly well pleased with the meeting. She had
been made acquainted by her brother with the quarrel between Halbert and
Robert, and the mean revenge which the former had taken in procuring the
dismissal of the latter from the factory. Having a partiality for
Robert, this was not likely to recommend his enemy in her eyes.

"Good-morning, Mr. Davis," she said, with cool politeness.

"You are very ceremonious this morning, Miss Hester," said Halbert, who
liked well enough to be called "Mr." by others, but not by Hester.

"Am I?" asked Hester, indifferently. "How so?"

"You called me Mr. Davis."

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"I am not called so by my intimate friends."

"No, I suppose not," said Hester, thus disclaiming the title.

Halbert bit his lips. He was not in love, not because he was too young,
but because he was too selfish to be in love with anybody except
himself. But he admired Hester, and the more she slighted him the more
he was determined to force her to like him. He did, however, feel a
little piqued at her behavior, and that influenced his next words.