Page:The Other House (London, William Heinemann, 1896), Volume 2.djvu/45

Rh reverted to his morocco case. "To ask her to keep that again?"

At this Paul met her with spirit. "She may keep it for ever!" Giving another toss to his missile, while his companions stared at each other, he took the same direction as Jean.

Mrs. Beever, disconcerted and flushed, broke out on the spot to Tony. "Heaven help us all—she has refused him!"

Tony's face reflected her alarm. "Pray, how do you know?"

"By his having his present to her left on his hands—a jewel a girl would jump at! I came back to hear it was settled"

"And you haven't heard it's not!"

"What I haven't heard I've seen. That it's 'not' sticks out of them! If she won't accept the gift," Mrs. Beever cried, "how can she accept the giver?"

Tony's appearance, for some seconds, was an echo of her question. "Why, she just promised me she would!"

This only deepened his neighbour's surprise. "Promised you?"

Tony hesitated. "I mean she left me to infer