"What does she propose to do in that case?" said Carrissima. "At present her dressmaker's bill must be rather extravagant, and I wish I could buy such hats! I suppose," Carrissima added, "that marriage is to be the way out of her difficulty."
"At least," replied Mark, "you may console yourself that nothing is settled at the moment."
"How do you know?" asked Carrissima hastily.
"You may accept it as a fact," he insisted.
"Undoubtedly," she retorted, "your conversation must have taken an extraordinary turn last night. Mark, you are rather tantalizing. It is so evident that you are only favouring me with elegant extracts."
"Oh well, I don't want to give the girl away," he said. "And look here, Carrissima, I don't want you to drop upon her too heavily."
"Is that a custom of mine?" she exclaimed. "As if I want to drop upon her at all! Frankly, I like Bridget. You see, we are in agreement so far. Or rather, I should like her if she would let the foolish colonel go. Oh dear, I really ought not to talk in this way!"
"Upon my word," said Mark, "I believe she scarcely realizes what she is doing."
"Then you admit she is doing it!"
"A kind of youthful irresponsibility," he returned. "That accounts for everything."