Ill say that. But at the
time I was too much occupied with hateing him to care about
dancing, or anything. But I was compelled by my pride to see things
through. We are a very proud Familey and never show our troubles,
though our hearts be torn with anguish.
"Think," he said, when we had got away from the band, "think of our
being together like this!"
"It's not so surprizing, is it? We've got to be together if we are
dancing."
"Not that. Do you know, I never knew so long a day as this has
been. The thought of meeting you--er--again, and all that."
"You needn't rave for my benefit," I said freesingly. "You know
perfectly well that you never saw me before."
"Barbara! With your dear little Letter in my breast pocket
at this moment!"
"I didn't know men had breast pockets in their evening clothes."
"Oh well, have it your own way. I'm too happy to quarrel," he said.
"How well you dance--only, let me lead, won't you? How strange it
is to think that we have never danced together before!"
"We must have a talk," I said desparately. "Can't we go somwhere,
away from the noise?"
"That would be conspicuous, wouldn't it, under the circumstances?
If we are to overcome the Familey objection to me, we'll have to be
cautious, Barbara."
"Don't call me Barbara," I snapped. "I know perfectly well what you
think of me, and I----"
"I think you are wonderful," he said. "Words fail me when I try to
tell you what I am thinking. You've saved the Cotillion for me,
haven't you? If not, I'm going to claim it anyhow. IT IS MY RIGHT."
He said it in the most determined manner, as if everything was settled.
I felt like a rat in a trap, and Carter, watching from a corner,
looked exactly like a cat. If he had taken his hand in its white glove
and washed his face with it, I would hardly have been surprized.
The music stopped, and somebody claimed me for the next. Jane came
up, too, and cluched my arm.
"You lucky thing!" she said. "He's perfectly handsome. And oh, Bab,
he's wild about you. I can see it in his eyes."
"Don't pinch, Jane," I said coldly. "And don't rave. He's an idiot."
She looked at me with her mouth open.
"Well, if you don't want him, pass him on to me," she said, and
walked away.
It was too silly, after everything that had happened, to dance the
next dance with Willie Graham, who is still in knickerbockers, and
a full head shorter than I am. But that's the way with a Party for
the school crowd, as I've said before. They ask all ages, from
perambulaters up, and of course the little boys all want to dance
with the older girls. It is deadly stupid.
But H seemed to be having a good time. He danced a lot with Jane,
who is a wreched dancer, with no sense of time whatever. Jane is not
pretty, but she has nice eyes, and I am not afraid, second couzin
once removed or no second couzin once removed, to say she used them.
Altogether, it was a terrible evening. I danced three dances out of
four with knickerbockers, and one with old Mr. Adams, who is fat
and rotates his partner at the corners by swinging her on his
waistcoat. Carter did not dance at all, and every time I tried to
speak to him he was taking a crowd of the little girls to the
fruit-punch bowl.
I determined to have things out with H during the Cotillion, and
tell him that I would never marry him, that I would Die first. But
I was favored a great deal, and when we did have a chance the music
was making such a noise that I would have had to shout. Our chairs
were next to the band.
But at last we had a minut.