"Perhaps some of us had quite as lief have Stevey and Tommy as Miss Marr."
It was the first time that Dorothea had responded even indirectly to any remarks of Kate's since their stormy interview; and though there was a sharp flavor in what was said, Kate held herself in, and did not reply to it. But one of the younger girls called out in protest,—
"Oh, how can you say that! There's nobody like Miss Marr. I never skate half so well with any one else as I do with her."
"Yes, but you are contented to skate her way, I suppose," flung back Dorothea, with a little disagreeable laugh.
"Course I am, because she knows just how; and so her way's better than mine," was the innocent answer to this.
"And I like my way best sometimes, and take it," returned Dorothea, with another disagreeable laugh.
Kate understood perfectly well that these flings were aimed at her, and not at little Lily Chester; but she was determined to take no notice of them.
Dorothea, however, in spite of this sudden outburst of rancor, seemed to be in excellent spirits, and laughed and talked with one and another of the girls with even more than her usual volubility. Arrived at the Park, however, her spirits seemed to flag. Kate, who had caught her quick, searching glance across the pond, thought at once: "She is disappointed in not finding somebody here that she expected. I wonder if it is Raymond Armitage?" But just at that moment a shrill halloo reached Kate, and wheeling about she saw Peter Van Loon, with her brother Schuyler and little Johnny, skating down the ice towards her, and Dorothea and her affairs vanished from her mind. It was some time later that she was curiously recalled to her, by Peter Van Loon suddenly exclaiming, "Hello, there's Armitage now, going off with the daffodil girl!"
"The daffodil girl!" What did he mean? Kate followed the direction of Peter's eyes, and saw Raymond Armitage with Dorothea, who had a lot of daffodils stuck in her belt,—a fresh offering, evidently, from her escort.
"But why do you call her the 'daffodil girl?'" asked Kate, wonderingly.