Part 21 (2/2)
”It is very natural, I am sure,” said Ronald in a somewhat injured tone.
”You wrote about him. He was the only person you mentioned in your letter-that is, he and a man called Harrington.”
”Mr. Vancouver--Mr. Poc.o.c.k Vancouver--is a middle-aged man of various accomplishments,” said Joe, ”more especially distinguished by the fact that Sybil Brandon refused to marry him some time ago. He is an enemy of Mr. Harrington's, and they are both friends of Mrs. Wyndham's.”
”Ah!” e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Ronald, ”and who is Harrington?”
”Mr. John Harrington is a very clever person who has to do with politics,”
said Joe, without hesitation, but as she continued she blushed a little.
”He is always being talked about because he wants to reform everything. He is a great friend of ours.”
”Oh--I thought so,” said Ronald. ”What sort of a fellow is he?”
”I suppose he is five-and-thirty years old; he is neither tall nor short, and he has red hair,” said Joe.
”What a beauty!” laughed Ronald.
”He is not at all ugly, you know,” said Joe, still blus.h.i.+ng.
”Shall I ever see him?”
”You will see him to-night at Mrs. Wyndham's; he told me he was going.”
”Oh--are you going too, Joe?”
”No. I have another dinner-party. You will have to do without me.”
”I suppose I shall always have to do without you, now.” said Ronald disconsolately.
”Don't be silly, Ronald!”
”Silly!” repeated Surbiton in injured tones. ”You call it silly to be cut up when one is treated as you have treated me! It is too bad, Joe!”
”You are a dear, silly old thing,” said his cousin affectionately, ”and I will say it as much as I please. It is ever so much better, because we can always be like brother and sister now, and we shall not marry and quarrel over everything till we hate each other.”
”I think you are very heartless, all the same,” said Ronald.
”Listen to me, Ronald”--
”You will go and marry one of these middle-aged people with red hair”--
”Be quiet,” said Joe, stamping her little foot. ”Listen to me. I will not marry you because I like you and I do not love you, and I never mean to marry any middle-aged person. I shall not marry at all, most probably.
Will you please to imagine what life would have been like if we had married first, and found out afterwards that we had made a mistake.”
”Of course that would have been awful,” said Ronald. ”But then it would not be a mistake, because I love you--like anything, Joe!”
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