meeting me."

"And the fortune-telling? Do you mean to tell me you didn't enjoy
holding the child's hand and putting her in a silly flutter?"

"I deny the flutter," he said, "but--Well, yes, of course I enjoyed
it. You wouldn't believe me if I said I didn't."

"No," said she.

"I enjoyed it more than I expected to," he added with a frankness that
he had not meant to use, "much more. But I didn't say a word of
love---only perhaps--"

"Only perhaps you made the idea of it underlie every word you did
speak. Don't I know?" said Miss Desmond. "Bless the man, I've been
young myself!"

"Miss Betty is very charming," said he, "and--and if I hadn't met
her--"

"If you hadn't met her some other man would. True; but I fancy her
father would rather it had been some other man."

"I didn't mean that in the least," said Vernon with some heat. "I
meant that if I hadn't met her she would have gone on being bored, and
so should I. Don't think me a humbug, Miss Desmond. I am more sorry
than I can say that I should have been the means of causing her any
unhappiness."