Page:An American Girl in India.djvu/288

 I felt dreadfully guilty. What would he think when the carriage didn't come? I almost prayed that Berengaria might turn up, though I knew quite well that she could not be there for quite a little time yet. Still, whatever happened, he had done it at last. There was no getting out of that. My confidence revived. I turned and looked at him smilingly. 'How long have you done that?' I asked demurely. 'Exactly four months, nineteen days and some odd hours,' he said. 'I counted driving along in the ticca ghari.'

I laughed. 'You have been rather a long time telling me, haven't you?' I said reproachfully. What an extraordinary lover he was! Why, any other of the men who had proposed to me would have been acting in quite the orthodox fashion long ago if I had given them half as much encouragement. 'You see you have refused at least half a dozen men I know,' he defended himself comically. 'So I intended to make quite sure that I should not get "No" too. You see, I never have been refused yet.' We both laughed. But still he never took me in his arms as I should have thought he would, and as they always do in books. I got piqued.

'And do you think you are quite sure now?' I asked, quite in the style of Lady Disdain. He did come a step nearer then. 'I love you,' he said again with a delicious little