Page:Middle Aged Love Stories (IA middleagedlove00bacorich).djvu/117

 cutting criticism of her work made by the self-appointed faculty critic; the criticism was cleverly worded, and had just enough truth to fly quickly and hurt her with the head of her department. So she was not in the best of tempers.

“Yes, it’s I,” she said crossly. “If you had knocked these papers an inch farther, I should have invited you to correct them. If you go about in that abstracted way much longer, my dear, Miss Selbourne will inform the world (on the very best authority) that you’re in love.”

“I? What nonsense!”

It was a ridiculous thing to say, and she flushed angrily at herself. It was only a joke, of course.

The other woman laughed shortly.

“Dear me! I really believe you are!” she exclaimed. “The girls were saying at breakfast that Professor Tredick was ruining himself in violets yesterday—so it was for you!” and she went into the lecture-room.