"It seems to me they're obvious," she said, with desperate carelessness. "I shouldn't think it would be necessary to make a list of them."
"It is with me," said Bill mercilessly. "I've got to be shown. Come on, now; you're an expert. We'll take them one at a time. What's the first?"
"—I wouldn't know which to put first."
"Take 'em in any order you like, then. Name the first you happen to think of."
Mary was growing pink under the freckles. Never in her life had she felt so helpless or so absurd. It was deliberate teasing, she knew; but she must not permit herself to be teased. She must have poise and self-possession; literally, she must know everything he asked, or at any rate have an answer.
"Shoot," said Bill cheerfully. "I'm all attention."
That was just the trouble, thought Mary. She was fearing now that she would fly into a temper, which would ruin everything.
"Well," she said slowly. "I would say that one of the advantages is in meeting people who are trained to be considerate of your feelings."
Nor was she ready to bite off her tongue after she said it. He had no right to treat her that way. She hoped he would understand.