“Miss Kate, I’m so much obliged that I am going to kiss you.”
She screamed, for she felt herself lifted clean off her feet. He held her in mid-air, kissed her on the lips, set her down, and received a stinging cuff on the ear.
Gratia Ferry came running. “What in the world is he doing?”
“Kissing me in the dark.”
“That’s because he wanted to kiss Cynthy. That vampire is after him every minute, and he was just dying to kiss her.”
“So I was, and Mrs. Hogg is dying to have you call her by her name.”
“It’s a horrid name,” said Gratia. “She married it, and so she has to make the best of it, but I certainly shan’t.”
“Shan’t what?” cried Marvin.
But Gratia was already gone.