Mr. Bennet produced his watch. "I don't know just how long you expected it to last," he replied, "but right this moment it happens to be ten minutes past eleven; which means that we have been here almost three hours!"
Arethusa regarded him open-eyed and open-mouthed.
"Honest!"
"Honest."
"Why, it hasn't seemed like any time at all!"
"Well, it seems to me that if you enjoyed it so much, we'll have to come again some time very soon. Shall we?"
Arethusa accepted this invitation with undoubted pleasure.
"I'll be a little more careful, though, in my selection of our next play, so there will be nothing in it you could misunderstand that might possibly spoil a few moments for us. I don't want any spoiled moments with you," tenderly.
Arethusa blushed deeply and her head drooped.
She had spoiled it, all by herself; those moments of unhappiness had been all her own fault, because she was such a goose. This play had been as near perfection as a play could be, thought she, who knew so little of plays. At the next one, she herself would see that nothing of the kind occurred. She had learned her lesson, and there would be no more misinterpretation of Mr. Bennet's charming little ways.