"You need not put the 'except' before that, my papa," said she.

"And yet I have for some years been under the impression that even when a man whom she recoils from marrying talks to a young woman about his aspirations in the direction of marriage, she is more interested than she would be when the man whom she wishes to marry talks on some other topic."

"At any rate, George Holland didn't interest me so long as he talked of his aspirations. Then he talked of--well, of something else, and I'm afraid that I was rude to him. I don't think that he will come here again. I know that I shall never go to St. Chad's again."

"Heavens above! This is a pretty story to tell a father. How were you rude to him? I should like to have a story of your rudeness, merely to hold up against you for a future emergency."

"I pointed to the door in the attitude of the heroine of one of the old plays, and when he didn't leave at once, I left the room."

"You mean to say that you left him standing in the middle of the room while you went away?"

"Rude, yes; but it's one thing to omit to leave cards upon a hostess, and quite another to stare her in the face when she bows to you in the street. It's one thing to omit sending a man a piece of your bridescake, and quite another to knock off his hat in the street. Rude, oh, my dear Phyllis!"

"If you knew what he said about--about someone whom I love--if you knew how angry I was, you would not say that I acted so atrociously, after all."