"I should think not," the Boy replied, still speaking seriously. "You never see anyone but Angelica."
The Tenor flushed.
"Why do you never speak to that sweet young lady?" the Boy asked tentatively, after a little pause.
"I! How could I?"
"I fancy you ought to," the Boy went on, endeavouring to "draw" the Tenor.
"You can't expect her to make up to you, you know."
"Oh, Boy! how can you be so young!" the Tenor exclaimed, with a gesture of impatience, but still amused.
The Boy sipped his wine, and gazed into the glass, delighting in the rich deep colour. "I should think she would be delighted to make the acquaintance of so great an artist," he said.
The Tenor bowed ironically. "May I ask if you are pursuing your investigations as to what manner of man I am?" he asked.
"Well, yes," was the candid rejoinder; "I was. I suppose you think that you ought not to speak without an introduction. Well, say I gave you one."
The Tenor laughed. He felt that he ought to let the subject drop, and at the same time yielded to temptation.