The young man introduced as Mr. Thornton addressed Madge with a view toward being gracious, but she replied briefly and turned her attention to Tom. Far from being dismayed with the rebuff, he tried again.
"I am over in camp with your friend, Mr. Curtis," he volunteered.
"Are you?" rejoined Madge indifferently.
"Yes," he went on, unabashed. "I came over to the dance to-night because Miss Harris is a great friend of mine. Don't hold that rude speech of hers against us; she did not imagine you would overhear it. Mr. Lawton and I were awfully cut up over it." He was doing his best to melt the snow image he was addressing. Madge showed no sign of relenting.
"Do you golf?" he questioned, hurriedly changing the subject.
Madge shrugged her pretty shoulders. "Not well enough to count," she answered.
"Do you swim?" was his next question.
Receiving no answer, he continued: "It is getting rather late in the year for sea bathing. The water is too cold for comfort."
"I like to swim in cold water," commented Madge stiffly. Then, taking pity on the discomfited young man, she smiled faintly and said, "I should not blame you for your friend's rude remarks, but I am still very angry with her. Her conduct was insufferable."
"She didn't mean what she said," defended Alfred Thornton. "I can't understand why Flora spoke as she did. She is a splendid girl. I've known her for a long time. She is the daughter of an officer whose father is a retired admiral in the Navy and a favorite socially at Old Point."