“But what do you do for a confidential friend? Woman must have them, you know, and you hardly find any congenial woman here!”
“You forget Kate Darcy,” replies Dainty. “She is a being to admire. I look at no one else when Kate is by.”
“Would it be wrong to be glad she is not here then?” said the major, gallantly.
“I think you will be pleased to meet her, you cannot fail to admire her,” answered Dainty. “She is not like me.”
Herr Schwatka smiled at the last assertion.
“Do you expect us to admire her when she is not like you?”
Dainty looked at the Austrian with a little deprecatory smile, as she said: “You will admire her for what she is, rather than what she is not.”
“It is pleasant to hear a woman praise a woman,” said Herr Schwatka. “All women do it sometimes, for they all must have some intimate whom they can love, caress, and lavish themselves upon.”
“Yes,” said Dainty, “that may be true, but Kate is not the style of woman you imagine. She is strong and noble, though gentle withal—wait till you meet her.”
Herr Schwatka felt a warm thrill at the enthusiasm and loyalty of the heart that loved its friends so wholly.