"Why, the fourteenth."
"The fourteenth!" I echoed.
"Yes, why? Really, you look quite scared, Freddy. What's the matter. Is anything terrible going to happen on that date?" she asked, looking at me with some concern.
"Going to happen—why?" I asked, striving to calm myself.
"Oh—well, because you look so horribly pale. When I told you the date you gave quite a jump!"
"A jump? Did I?" I asked, striving to remain calm. "I didn't know, but, really, I'm filled with great disappointment. I'm so sorry, but it will be quite impossible for me to dine with you."
"Another engagement?" she said in a rather irritated tone. "Going to some people whom you like better than us, of course. You might tell the truth, Teddy."
"The truth is that I have a prior engagement," I said. "One that I cannot break. I have to fulfill faithfully a promise I gave to a very dear friend."
"Couldn't you do it some other time?"
"No," I answered. "Only on the evening of the fourteenth."