“Not if I had been obliged to read his letters. But if you really love him and intend to marry him, I think you should announce the engagement.”
“Well, I’m not going to announce it, and spoil all my fun. An engaged girl has a simply dismal time.”
“But it’s not fair to other men. I do hope, dearest, that you are not going to be an unprincipled flirt.”
“I don’t care a bit about flirting or having men fall in love with me. I only want to have a good time. If I see any man fixing to fall in love with me—I beg pardon—I mean showing signs of it, I’ll tell him, for I don’t want to hurt anybody, and I’m sure it must be horrid to see men look serious and glum. But I do want to be the belle of all the parties, and have flowers sent to me, and get nearly all the favours at the germans. Surely I have a right to a girl’s good time.”
“You certainly have, dear. Why not break the engagement? Have you considered that it is hardly fair to Cecil?”
“What?” Lee whirled about. “Do you think he would wish it broken off? He’s never even hinted at such a thing.”
“Of course not; he’s too honourable. But when you are a year older you will write and tell him that you no longer hold him to a childish compact.”
“I won’t! He’s mine, and I’ll keep him. How can you be so cruel, Tiny? It’s my first party, and now I want to cry!”
“You did not let me finish. I had no intention of speaking of this to-night, and I would not spoil your pleasure for the world. I was only going to say that a year from now you will feel very differently about everything. You will have seen more of the world, and you will realise the difference between fact and fancy.”
“All the same I won’t give up Cecil,” said Lee obstinately. “It has been my dearest dream, and I won’t even think about it’s being all a sham.”