"Ruth," Drew pleaded. "Look at me."
She dropped her work then and met his eyes.
"You're angry with me, aren't you?" he asked.
"No; I'm not angry," she replied slowly.
"But you're vexed?" he suggested.
"I should say rather that I am sorry," she answered. "Everything has been so pleasant between us all up to now, and I hoped it was going to remain so."
"It was that impulsive tongue of mine," he said. "The words slipped out before I thought."
"What you said was nothing," she replied. "But the tone in which you spoke was unpleasant. It seemed as though you were trying to put a damper on things. It came like a dash of cold water, and I'm sure that Mr. Parmalee felt chilled by it."
"You seem very much interested in Mr. Parmalee's feelings," he said, with a return of jealousy at the mention of the other's name.
"No more than I am in those of any of my friends," she answered. "I think he is very nice, and I was very much interested in what he was saying," she added, with a tiny touch of malice.