"So I've heard, and I'm quite convinced that no one has a better right to come under that head than yourself."
"Quite true; I'm amazed at your powers of penetration. Perhaps you also observed that I rank only a little ways below my illustrious cousin, Kathleen."
"I'm not your cousin, thank goodness."
"Don't thank anything with which you have so little acquaintance; it's apt to never be appreciated."
"No acquaintance that I have with anything, or any body troubles me as much as the acquaintance that I have with you."
"You have my sympathy, for I'm troubled with the same feeling."
"Do hush," exclaimed Kittie. "It's perfectly awful the way you two do talk. Ralph, come play chess. Kat, I'm astonished."
"I don't wonder; so am I; but I never had such an object to deal with before, so no wonder I do some unusual things," cried Kat, and bounced out of the room to hide the tears that would come; for Kittie's voice was reproof, and she took Ralph's part, and that was altogether too much!