"Men are very stupid," she observed, dispassionately; "but suppose I did mean it—what then? Were you in earnest when you said you wouldn't?"
"Yes," said Robert, steadfastly; "whether you were joking or not, I was in earnest, and so was Ronald."
Hitherto, men had not openly defied the girl's imperious will, and she had the sensation of unexpectedly encountering a brick wall. "Would you mind going over after my sewing?" she asked, suddenly.
"Certainly not—where is it?"
"Aunt Eleanor knows."
"You're a sad flirt, Bee," remarked Mrs. Howard, as Forsyth went out of the Fort.
"I am not," retorted Beatrice, with spirit. "Why shouldn't he go after my sewing?"
"There's no reason why he shouldn't, if he wants to."
"Well, he wants to," replied Beatrice, "otherwise he wouldn't. That's the man of it."