"On the contrary," said Keith, bowing and speaking gravely to the younger girl, "I assure you that you may believe implicitly every word that I tell you. I promise you in the beginning that I shall never tell you anything but the truth as long as I live. It shall be my claim upon your friendship."
"Thank you," said Lois, lifting her eyes to his face. Her color had deepened a little at his earnest manner. "I love a palpable truth."
"You do not get it often in Society," said Mrs. Lancaster.
"I promise you that you shall always have it from me," said Keith.
"Thank you," she said again, quite earnestly, looking him calmly in the eyes. "Then we shall always be friends."
"Always."
Just then Stirling came up and with a very flattering speech asked Miss Huntington to sing.
"I hear you sing like a seraph," he declared.
"I thought they always cried," she said, smiling; then, with a half-frightened look across toward her cousin, she sobered and declared that she could not.
"I have been meaning to have her take lessons," said Mrs. Wentworth, condescendingly, from her seat near by; "but I have not had time to attend to it. She will sing very well when she takes lessons." She resumed her conversation. Stirling was still pressing Miss Huntington, and she was still excusing herself; declaring that she had no one to play her accompaniments.