“And supposing I badly wanted something else from you besides contradiction!… a little affection, for instance!”
“Oh, I’m giving you a lot of that thrown in,” gaily, but she pushed her chair a little farther away; “if I didn’t rather like you I shouldn’t bother to contradict you.”
“Rather like me!… that’s very cold—I, a great deal more than rather like you.”
“That, of course, is different,” with a jaunty air, that made them both laugh.
“Still, I don’t think we can stop at ‘rather liking’, now—do you?”
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t; we are getting on very nicely.”
He got up suddenly, and walked away to the window. In his heart of hearts he was a little nonplussed. Of course they couldn’t stop where they were, he argued; but how, with a girl of Hal’s practical level-headedness get any farther?
Then he remembered he was a firm believer in swift and sudden measures, and usually found they fitted all contingencies. So he swung round, crossed the room, put his hand on her shoulders, and boldly kissed her.
“There,” he said—“that is how I ‘rather like’ you.”
Hal was quite taken aback—almost too taken aback to speak; but a red spot burned in each cheek, and a sudden flash seemed to gleam angrily in her eyes. Her quick brain, however, took in the position instantly. If she grew indignant and melodramatic, he would merely laugh at her.