"
He put his hand into his pocket and drew out a handful of coins.
"Here's a sovereign," he said, "to buy a ribbon. It can't make you
prettier, but may it make you kinder when next we meet!"
He flung the coin as though he expected me to catch it, but, of course,
I made no effort to do so and it fell on the ground and rolled away into
a heap of dead leaves. No matter what happened I could not have kept
myself from kicking at it contemptuously with my foot where it lay.
"Not enough, eh?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in amusement. "Would
five do?"
I stared at him and the colour flamed in my cheeks.
"Why, you are prettier than ever," he said. "If you look at me like that
much longer I shall be obliged to kiss you, although I would rather wait
till you came offering me a kiss. Pretty spitfire! Where have they been
hiding you? I had no idea, till I saw you the other day at the Creamery,
that there was anything so pretty hereabouts. I generally find out what
there is delectable in the way of femininity before I am forty-eight
hours in a place. You have no idea of what an adorable little modesty
you looked with your white arms plunged in the milk. You took the shine
out of the ladies, my dear.
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