“Why?” asked Leonore, calmly, in the most uninterested of tones.
“Because Miss Biddle is to be here. For two years I’ve been trying to bring those two together, so that they might make a match of it. They are made for each other.”
Leonore tucked a rebellious curl in behind the drawn-back lock. Then she said, “What a pretty pin you have.”
“Isn’t it? Ray gave it to me,” said Dorothy, giving Leonore all the line she wanted.
“I’ve never met Miss Biddle,” said Leonore.
“She’s a great beauty, and rich. And then she has that nice Philadelphia manner. Peter can’t abide the young-girl manner. He hates giggling and talking girls. It’s funny too, because, though he doesn’t dance or talk, they like him. But Miss Biddle is an older girl, and can talk on subjects which please him. She is very much interested in politics and philanthropy.”
“I thought,” said Leonore, fluffing the lace on her gown, “that Peter never talked politics.”
“He doesn’t,” said Dorothy. “But she has studied political economy. He’s willing to talk abstract subjects. She’s just the girl for a statesman’s wife. Beauty, tact, very clever, and yet very discreet. I’m doubly glad they’ll meet here, for she has given up dancing, so she can entertain Peter, who would otherwise have a dull time of it.”
“If she wants to,” said Leonore.
“Oh,” said Dorothy, “I’m not a bit afraid about that. Peter’s the kind of man with whom every woman’s ready to fall in love. Why, my dear, he’s had chance after chance, if he had only cared to try. But, of course, he doesn’t care for such women as you and me, who can’t enter into his thoughts or sympathize with his ambitions. To him we are nothing but dancing, dressing, prattling flutter-birds.” Then Dorothy put her head on one side, and seemed far more interested in the effect of her own frock than in Peter’s fate.