He took the money mechanically and rose, thinking this a dismissal. Then something that had been on his mind all the time rose to his lips.
"I want to ask a great favor of you, Miss West."
She looked at him with a slight air of wonder, and answered: "Yes."
"You will meet with my friend, Lieutenant De Vere, on board the steamer. He is a very nice youth indeed. He will be good friends with you directly."
"In-deed?" said Leonora, in a slow, inquiring voice that implied a distinct doubt on the subject.
"Yes, indeed. You need not look so incredulous. You will be sure to like him. The ladies all adore him."
She looked up at him with the dimples coming into roguish play around her mouth.
"And you wish to warn me not to fall a victim to his manifold perfections?" she said.
"Oh, dear, no, not at all. I never thought of such a thing. You see, Miss West, my friend intensely enjoys a joke."