"Or I will be your cousin if the relation will suit you better," said the girl, laughing outright at his rueful looks.
Julian took offence. "You don't pity me?"
"Not at all, since your feeling is not one of genuine love," was the cool response. "I would if it were."
"One would think you were a hardened woman of the world to hear you speak in this way."
"Perhaps I was a woman of the world in my last incarnation, Julian. I seem to have brought over a great deal of common sense to this life. You are a dear, sweet, placid thing, but although you have seen more of human nature and worldly existence this time than I have, you don't know half so much."
"Alice, you are conceited."
"Ah, that speech shows you are yet heart-whole, Julian. If you were really in love you would never dare to speak so to your divinity."
"Well, I daresay I shall get over it. But it's hard on a fellow."
"Not at all. Hard on your vanity perhaps, but vanity isn't you. Come," Alice sprang to her feet and took up her smart silver-headed cane, "the sun will soon go down and I must get home. We are friends, are we not?" she held out her hand smiling.