But Rose's shrewd brain was busy enough behind the forced facility of her chattering. She felt that it was not only absurd, but impolitic to ignore the incident. It had to be touched on lightly and without prejudice.
"You haven't yet told me the name of your friend, Jasper."
"What friend?"
"Why, the damsel among the blue-bells, stupid. You know—I felt horribly guilty. It occurred to me that I had put myself in the way of being an awkward third."
"That was Miss Nance Durrell."
Cousin Rose appeared immensely excited.
"Jasper—the heroine of your night adventure! Think of that now! I thought she would have been prettier. You ought to have made us known to each other. I might have driven her home in the curricle."
Jasper glanced at Rose mistrustfully. Nance had driven him into a world of cross-purposes and suspicions.
"Miss Durrell goes very much her own way."
"Proud, is she?"