"You haven't changed, have you?" he asked bluntly. She stared. "I?"
"I mean, you are still my champion?"
"Of course," she replied readily.
"Then, as I said before, I'll take my chances with the rest. I'll not hold her to that girlhood bargain. That would be unfair. But, if you'll permit me, I'll go in and win her as she is to-day—if I can."
She smiled at his ardor. "I hope you may win, David. But you must win for yourself. Do not look to me for help. She must decide for herself."
He did not refer to the young man who had taken her away in the cab. Mrs. Braddock noted this and was not slow to divine the well-bred restraint that lay behind the omission.
"That was young Stanfield," she observed. "He is delightful. My father is devoted to him."
David smiled. "I hope to have the pleasure of meeting him soon."
"You may meet to-night."
If she expected to see a trace of annoyance in his face, she was disappointed. He gracefully confessed his interest in the prospective meeting.