“Helen!” exclaimed Mrs. Burton in accents of bitter reproach.
“I just won’t have him for luncheon, and with all this grapefruit in my eye,” insisted Helen, hotly.
“It must hurt terribly,” sympathized Mrs. Burton’s other pretty charge, then twisted her head and looked behind her.
“What are you looking at, Sadie?” demanded Mrs. Burton, suspiciously.
Sadie turned with a start and blushed furiously. She started to stammer a reply when the less timid cousin came to her rescue.
“Some ridiculous man was trying to flirt with us and we were both awfully nervous. I suppose Sadie looked to see if you had frightened him off.”
The blushing Sadie was amazed at her cousin’s resourcefulness, and stole a glance from under the curling fuzz of her golden bang to note the effect produced upon her august guardian and aunt. Mrs. Burton groped in her mind for some subtlety that might have been contained in her niece’s remark, failed at any plausible solution and then almost vindictively returned to her original line of attack.
“Helen Burton, I must insist that you listen to me. I have broken an engagement for the matinée with my friend, Mrs. Hobbs-Smathers of Chicago, for the express purpose of communicating to you the contents of Mr. Hogg’s letter. He informs me, Helen, that you are treating him scandalously; that you do not pay the slightest attention to his letters or even answer his telegrams.”
“Did he say he was getting thin––that would be charming,” teased the incorrigible Helen.