“But you give yourself such airs!”
This line served very well for half a dozen stations on the elevated. Daisy stiffened her back as if she had swallowed the poker; and her eyes shot sparks of pure anger through the glasses. All very well; good fun as long as the sparks flew; but when, at last, she began to pull down the corners of her babyish mouth, Wilfred suddenly sickened.
Turning her blue eyes reproachfully on him, she murmured: “Why are you so hateful to me?”
His eyes bolted. Why can’t she play the game? he thought ill-temperedly. Lord! if she turned soft, she would be quite unendurable. He cast hastily about in his mind for some expedient to tide him over the remaining stations. He happened to remember that the trained nurse was engaged on night duty at the time. Affecting to yawn, he said:
“Gosh! I hate to think of the long trip back again!”
“It’s not my fault that you live so far down-town,” she said.
“Believe I’ll stay all night with you,” he said, very offhand.
Daisy was electrified. “How dare you say such a thing to me!” she cried. “How dare you . . . !”
This was splendid! It produced the briskest quarrel they had ever had; and the rest of the stations passed unnoticed. It carried them down the stairs, along Columbus avenue, and around the corner to the door of the apartment house where she lived. Wilfred was tired of it by this time; and hailed his approaching deliverance with relief. Never again! he promised himself. She wasn’t amusing even in her anger. What an unworthy and trumped-up business this girl-chasing was, anyhow!
“In all my life I have never been so insulted!” she was saying. “I never want to see you again until you are prepared to apologize. . . .”