Page:Barbour--Peggy in the rain.djvu/105

 best of them are mere gobs of gloom beside me! What do you say?"

"It sounds tempting," she replied lightly, "but I'm a very busy young person, Mr. Ames, and these are my work days."

"But you can't work all the time," he insisted. "You must have some hours of play."

"Not very many. And when I have sleep looks better to me than amusement. And besides"

"Well?" he asked as she paused.

She looked up at him gravely. "Have you forgotten what I told you that day—in Aiken?"

"Never! I remember every word you spoke, every glance, every smile and—every frown. There were a lot of frowns, Peggy-in-the-Rain."

"Please don't call me that," she said. "I—we were silly that day"

"I deny it! We were wise! Besides, I like that name—Peggy-in-the-Rain. I think I shall always call you that," he added softly.

The color crept back into her cheeks, but she frowned impatiently. "You are not behaving—very well," she murmured. "I asked you not to."

"Then tell me another name and I'll try to call you by it—if I like it."