“In a moment,” he said. “I have an idea that the instant I do you’ll vanish. And I have somthing to tell you.”
I could hardly beleive my ears.
“You see,” he went on, “I think you must move that Bench.”
“Bench?”
“You seem to be so very popular,” he said. “And of course I’m only a transient and don’t matter. But some evening one of the admirers may be on the Patten’s porch, while another is with you on the bench. And—the Moon rises beyond it.”
I was silent with horor. So that was what he thought of me. Like all the others, he, to, did not understand. He considered me a Flirt, when my only Thoughts were serious ones, of imortality and so on.
“You’d better come down now,” he said. “I was afraid to warn you until I saw you climbing the latice. Then I knew you were still young enough to take a friendly word of Advise.”
I got down then and stood before him. He was magnifacent. Is there anything more beautiful than a tall man with a gleaming expance of dress shirt? I think not.
But he was staring at me.
“Look here,” he said. “I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake after all. I thought you were a little girl.”