"Ouch!" he exclaimed.
"You got him that time," I laughed, and, being detected, she suddenly blushed. It was this act that drew my attention to her, that defined her as an individual. Before that I had regarded her merely as a shy and provincial girl. Now she was brimming with an unsuspected vitality. A certain interest was aroused, although her shyness towards me was not altered. I found it rather a flattering shyness.
"It's Hugh," she explained, "he's always trying to be funny. Speak to Mr.
Paret, Hugh."
"Why, that's my name, too," I said.
"Is it?"
"She knocked my hat off a little while ago," said Hugh. "I was only getting square."
"Well, you didn't get square, did you?" I asked.
"Are you going to speak in the tows hall to-night?" the boy demanded. I admitted it. He went off, pausing once to stare back at me…. Maude and I walked on.
"It must be exciting to speak before a large audience," she said. "If I were a man, I think I should like to be in politics."
"I cannot imagine you in politics," I answered.