Anna Chapin Ray

“ Most girls would have pretended to ransack their minds for an antecedent to his words. Not so Day, who preferred directness.
"No," she asserted. "She did not."
"Well, I wish she had," Ronald said, with some impatience.
"I don't see why."
His scarlet flush deepened.
"Because one hates a girl to be thinking of such things."
For her first half the answer, Day plumped herself down on the top step and drew her skirts aside to make room for her companion.
"A girl does think of such things, if she has any brains at all," she said calmly. "Do sit down, and we'll talk it out, once for all. ”

“ For fully half that time, she studied him with envious eyes, took in all the luxurious details of his dress, all the unconscious grace of his figure which so plainly betokened life in a family where debts were not, where one's bank account and one's ancestry were equally long and equally clean of origin. ”

“ Then, after a moment, he went on,—
"I supposed you knew it, that day at Levis, when we talked about things. That's why it hurt so, to-day, when you seemed to think I couldn't scrape up money to take you to the Island."
"Ronald! What an idea!" she broke in impatiently.
"I suppose. People get queer ideas now and then," he answered. "I suppose I have worried till I am losing my grip." ”

“ Then swiftly she brought the talk back to its point of departure. "Now about our coming out together," she went on, with a frank, off-hand directness which Ronald was powerless to resent; "let's come straight to the point. I have my allowance; it is probably ten times yours. Anyway, it is more than I can spend, up here where there's not so much to do. Let's agree that, when we go off for a frolic, we each pay our own way. It doesn't sound nice; but it's much more fun. We girls hate to be head over heels in debt. ”

“ Convinced that a fray was imminent, she swiftly decided that the best she could do, was to guide his steps to a spot where they could fight it out, unseen. The Grande Allée would be a bit too conspicuous a place for quarrelling.
"Let's come out across the Cove Fields," she suggested. "I've not been that way, since the first day I came." ”

“ Arguments should always be on the same level."
"People shouldn't argue," he grumbled, as he obeyed her and seated himself at her side.
"They shouldn't; but they do," she retorted whimsically. Then she faced him, with steady deliberation. "Ronald, you know I like going about with you. You've taught me all I know of the city; you've made it wonderfully nice for me. Rob is very cross at me, because I like better to go with you than with him. No, listen!" She lifted her hand to ward off his interruption. "It's not that I am not fair to Rob ”