Understanding not a tithe of her words the man nevertheless caught the flickering light of adventure in her eyes.
“I’m always game for anything you put a name to” he made answer, “I’m kind of heavy for dancin’. But if it’ll be any sort of pleasure for you, I might have a try at it.”
“Hush!” she warned, “If you speak as loudly as that you’ll be sure to wake them. Isn’t this fun?” she went on with a happy little laugh, “I feel as if we’d run away from school and were going to be scolded terribly hard when we get back. I dare you,—oh, I dare you! I double-dare you!”
“To what?” he demanded, infected by the sudden rush of mischief to her face and voice, “I’ll do anything you say. Want me to haul out Steve Martin an’ Jack an’ lick ’em for you, or set fire to the old lady’s tent?”
“Neither,” she decreed sternly; adding with perverse wistfulness, “Though it would be interesting to see how Mrs. Hawarden’s airy dignity would sustain her in a blazing tent. No, no. What I was going to dare you to do is much less spectacular. Nothing more exciting than a walk.”
“A walk?” echoed Conover, “Why, it’s near ten o’clock, an’ cold as charity. Besides, it’ll be all dark an’ damp in the thick part of the woods.”
“But I’m sure we’ll run across a ring of fairies,—or a satyr, at the very least. Oh, the night is throbbing with magic! And the forests are calling. Shan’t we answer the call?”
“Sounds to me more like katydids,” he demurred, “But, if you like, we can take a stroll. We’ll be back in half an hour or so, an’ that ought to be early enough, even for old Mrs. Propriety in there,” with a nod toward Mrs. Hawarden’s tent, “But you’ll want some wrap, won’t you?”
“No. I’m warm as toast. This sweater’s so wudgy and soft; and it’s as thick as thick can be. Come along!”
Laughing excitedly under their breath, after the manner of school-boys making safe escape to truancy, the two stole away on tiptoe from the radius of fire shine. Rex, waking again at their departure, sighed as devotion dragged him from sleep and warmth; and trotted along solemnly in the wake of the two truants.