“I beg your pardon,� he said stiffly, aware that he had been foolish and lost his temper; “pray forgive me.�
“It’s a matter of no consequence,� she said sweetly.
His heart was filled with sudden wrath. Why need the girl be so brutal? He did not know that Diana had been goaded by Mrs. Eaton and Jacob until she was beyond reason; besides, his manner, which defied her, was like tossing the glove at her feet. He had no appreciation of her condescension, and he did not bear her flouting with meekness. Yet, all the while, his strength and his repose made him immeasurably more interesting than the young men of her acquaintance, which, of course, was another reason to be unreasonable.
“I did not see you at the Wilton-Cheyneys,� she said agreeably, pressing the ferns against her cheek.
“Quite naturally,� he replied coolly; “I was not asked.�
“Oh!�
There was a silence. The sweet soft twilight seemed to enfold them with a touch like velvet; a Bob White whistled once in the stillness.
“Miss Royall.�
She looked up with her soft little smile, but his face froze it on her lips. He looked stern and cold. “Yes?� she said, faintly startled.
“Why do you say such things to me? You know that I’m not asked, that I’m an outsider. A poor Yankee shopkeeper, I believe your set calls me; I do not know. Certainly I do not care; a man must live, you know, even out of your class. I have a right to live. I also have a right to my own pride. I am a gentleman.�