Page:Georgie by Dorothea Deakin, 1906.djvu/256

"Georgie" "But Di—"

She stopped him again.

"Don't explain," she said. "I can't bear it. I only want you to go away. Oh, do go away."

Georgie gazed wretchedly at her determined face.

"Aren't you even going to dance with me, Di?"

She made an impatient sound.

"Dance with you? To-night? Are you mad, Georgie? I—I wonder you dare! No—I'm not going to dance with you. And now, will you please go?"

Bewildered, wounded, even indignant, he turned away without another word. For Diana to be so unforgiving! so hard! so narrow! It was incredible. Diana who loved him so. Georgie was a spoilt boy, and never in his life had he had such a snubbing. His program was still empty, but he didn't want to dance now. Gloomily he walked across the room, to the open window, and stared blankly out. If it had been any house but his mother's 240