The color touched his eyes; he looked amused and provoked; Tessa saw it while her eyes were busy with the lady in the chair near him; would he follow her? Mr. Hammerton returned.
“‘Why, William, on that old gray stone,
Thus for the length of a half a day,
Why, William, sit you thus alone,
And dream the time away?’
Only six ladies have found their way to you in the last half hour; with what sorcery do you draw them towards you? Tessa,” speaking in a grave tone, “it’s a beautiful thing for a woman to be attractive to women!”
“It is a very happy thing.”
“Will you go to supper with me or do you prefer to sit on the old gray stone? You once liked to go with me to get rid of poor Harrison; is there any one that you wish to rid yourself of now? In these extremities I am at your service.”
“Are you taking me to rid yourself of a pertinacious maiden?”
“No, the girls do not trouble me; I wish they would; if Naughty Nan would only run after me, now—there! there goes Towne; he’s after her, I know.”
Tessa enjoyed the roguish, demure eyes with which she made room for him at her side, and flashed back a congratulation in return for the little nod of triumph which Nan telegraphed to her.
“You are in league, you two; I can see that with my short-sighted eyes; say, you and he were prime friends once, weren’t you?”