Page:Maud Howe - Atlanta in the South.djvu/113

 spare you,—you, who sacrifice so much for her pleasure. It is strange, is it not, that she can not give up one day for yours?"

"What an ingenious statement of the case," murmured Margaret.

"O woman! marvellous mixture of dove and serpent, how is a poor helpless, clumsy man to resist you?" whispered Rondelet.

"I really am not aware," began the General, looking severely at Margaret, "that my daughter has any authority to refuse invitations in my name. You may count on me to-morrow, my dear madam, as on all other occasions when I may have the good fortune to enjoy the society of so charming a lady as yourself."

"Now you have caught it, my dear little groutiness. Serves you just right," whispered the dove and serpent, pinching Margaret's arm under pretence of arranging her dress. "Get along with you, do, till I persuade the pater that it 's absolutely necessary that you should go too."

Margaret sighed, blushed, laughed, kissed Mrs. Harden's round red cheek, and followed Rondelet up the companion-way to the deck.

"I wish I had her spirits," she said as she leaned over the taffrail and watched the swift current sweeping onward toward its grave in the great Gulf.