"It was because he wouldn't let me dance as often as I wanted to the night before. He said he must draw the line somewhere. It is strange that the word somewhere in that sentence invariably means the precise point where it is most painful to have it drawn."
Allan Dunlop, who had already had some experience of the Commodore's ability to draw the line at the sensitive point designated by his daughter, murmured only, "very strange."
"Not that he was in the least unkind about it," continued Rose. "Papa is always lovely to me, no matter how I behave."
"Very lovely?"
"Very lovely."
"I never before was so struck with the truths of heredity," mused the young man. "You are exactly like him."
"Oh!" the girl dropped her face in her hands a moment, and then thrust them out with the palms toward her guest. "You have need to beg a thousand pardons and a thousand more to cover the offences you have committed. And you have broken your promise!"
"What a harsh accusation! I promised not to come to the verge of a compliment. Do you think that was on the verge?"
"No! It was too blunt—too dreadfully—"
"It is a pleasure to hear you so emphatically contradict an assertion made by yourself."