“You are quite angry?”
“You didn’t care to keep your word this afternoon!”
Her lips again trembled as she thought of it—thought of the pride and pleasure with which she had gowned herself—the triumphant pride, which had made her desire to sweep in Dade’s carriage in grand style past her former lover, Dick Starbright, whom she was still anxious to draw after her, as a conquering captor draws a captive.
Dade laughed and dropped the lids over his eyes.
“Well, to tell the truth, I came up here to-night principally to say that I don’t care to go out driving that way any more.”
The girl’s cheeks paled.
“You’re an awfully pretty girl, Miss Thornton——”
She put out her hand again, but he went on.
“I don’t need to tell you that, for you know it. But there’s no use of keeping this thing up, you see. You might begin to think that I—I care for you. To be frank, I don’t. I suppose you’ll say that’s brutal.”
She dropped into a seat on the stairs. Dade looked at her a moment, still handsome and smiling.