“But I don’t want to. If you throw me over, I shall sit in a corner and mope.”
“Oh, don’t do that! Well, I’ll tell you what, I’ll give you half of sixteen, and you can mope the other half.”
And then Patty’s next partner claimed her, and Mr. Everson went away.
Having done all she could in the matter of conciliating Mona and Roger, Patty bethought herself of her own little tiff with Philip Van Reypen. It did not bother her much, for she had little doubt that she could soon cajole him back to friendship, and she assured herself that if she couldn’t, she didn’t care.
And so, when he came to claim his dance, which was the last before supper, Patty met him with an air of cool politeness, which greatly irritated the Van Reypen pride.
He had thought, had even hoped, Patty would be humble and repentant, but she showed no such attitude, and the young man was slightly at a loss as to what manner to assume, himself.
But he followed her lead, and with punctilious courtesy asked her to dance, and they stepped out on to the floor.
For a few rounds they danced in silence, and then Philip said, in a perfunctory way: “You’re enjoying this party?”
“I have been, up to this dance,” and Patty smiled pleasantly, as she spoke.
“And you’re not enjoying yourself now?” Philip said, suppressing his desire to shake her.