"Then you wish for an invitation to our house for"--
"Miss Frida Palm, that is her name."
"I will speak to my guardian about it, and if he is willing"--
"Oh! pray do not; that is just what I am most anxious to avoid," interrupted Gustave. "I do not wish my brother to know anything of my appeal to you. Would it not be possible to give out that Miss Palm is a protégée of your own, recommended by some New York acquaintance, and whom you have agreed to receive? The suggestion is rather singular, I see that in your manner, so I place myself and my petition entirely in your hands."
Jessie's manner certainly showed how surprised she was. She bent on the speaker a long, searching look.
"Indeed, a very extraordinary demand. You really ask that we should literally perform a comedy, in order that you may gain a point with my guardian! With what object?"
"Certainly with no bad object, even if for the present that must remain my secret."
"Your secret is not hard to guess, at least for me," said Jessie sarcastically, but still with a feeling of intense relief at the turn things had taken. "Only acknowledge openly that your interest in this young lady is a much deeper and more serious one than appears, and that you have a decided object to gain in bringing her here."
Apparently overwhelmed, Gustave drooped his head.
"I acknowledge it."