The moment I sat down beside her, what does she do, but, ask me to get her an ice—it was “so hot!”
Of course, I started off to procure it, our conversation being stopped meanwhile; but then, when I had scrambled through the crowd in the doorway, making ninepins of all the male wallflowers; had rudely jostled the peripatetics on the staircase; and, literally, fought my way into the supper-room and back to her again with the desired dainty—what do you think was my reward?
I assure you, there was the identical, horrible person, with sandy hair and sallow, elongated features—whom I had before routed in the matter of Min’s dancing with him,—seated in my chair, chattering away at a fine rate to my darling; and, she?—
Was listening to his sallies with apparent contentment.
It was, enough to have caused a Puritan to swear!
She saw that I was annoyed; but, she thanked me so prettily for her ice, that my anger towards her was instantly appeased:—not so, however, toward the interloper! I gnawed, in impotent fury, the attenuated ends of the small fragment of a moustache which nature had allotted to me, and talked at him and over him, so pointedly, that he had to beat a retreat and claim some other partner for the ensuing waltz.
We were again left alone; but, Min, still, wouldn’t listen to me a moment!
“Oh, Frank!” she said. “This is our dance, I think, is it not? We have sat out such a time! Do let us begin.”
I liked dancing, but wanted to speak more; so, I got angry again.
“You are cruel to me, Min,”—I said.—“You know that I wish to speak to you seriously, and you won’t let me have a chance. You can joke and laugh, while I’m breaking, my heart! I will leave you”—and, I walked away from her out of the room and down the staircase—very proudly, very defiantly, very miserably.