"Oh, I don't call it humbling. I—I should only be too happy if I could do anything that was agreeable to her."
"Very well, I will tell her," said the girl haughtily. "Shall you object to my joining you in your amusements, whatever they are? I assure you I will be very unobtrusive."
"I don't understand all this," replied Colville. "Who has proposed to exclude you? Why did you tell me anything about Mrs. Bowen if you didn't want me to say or do something? I supposed you did; but I'll withdraw the offensive proposition, whatever it was."
"There was nothing offensive. But if you pity her so much, why can't you pity me a little?"
"I didn't know anything was the matter with you. I thought you were enjoying yourself——"
"Enjoying? Keeping you up at dances till you drop asleep whenever you sit down? And then coming home and talking to a person who won't mention your name! Do you call that enjoying? I can't speak of you to any one; and no one speaks to me——"
"If you like, I will talk to you on the subject," Colville essayed, in dreary jest.
"Oh, don't joke about it! This perpetual joking, I believe it's that that's wearing me out. When I come to you for a little comfort in circumstances that drive me almost distracted, you want to amuse Mrs. Bowen, and when I ask to be allowed to share in the amusement, you laugh at me! If you don't understand it all, I'm sure I don't."
"Imogene!"
"No! It's very strange. There's only one explanation. You don't care for me."