“By Jove!” I thought, “it’s coming now.  I’ve pushed it too far—­never thought what I was doing:  she will certainly accept me, and I cannot retract.”  It took me but a moment to see my danger and to make up my mind.  A gentleman will always sustain his word.  My voice was shaking a little from the greatness of the resolution I had made, but I managed to say pretty steadily, “Of course I do.”  It was so very sudden, you know.  I felt I should be an engaged man in five minutes more.

“You are awfully funny,” she exclaimed after quite a pause.

“I believe I am considered witty,” I replied, hardly knowing what I said:  I tell you, that sort of thing makes a man confoundedly nervous.

Then she began laughing, and I thought she, would never stop.  I did not feel like laughing, so I just sat and looked at her.

“Oh my! oh my!” she gasped, trying to control herself, “why didn’t you say No?  You never intended to ask me at all.  It is the funniest thing I ever heard of.  Oh my!  I shall die of laughing.  I think you will ‘end badly’ if you go on so,” she said, quoting what I had repeated.  “What induced you to act in this manner?”

I saw that she had found me out and thought I was a fool.  This provoked me, and I replied, rather warmly, pretending I did not know what she meant, “It appears to me an odd manner you have of receiving an offer, Miss Blanche.  I think you should at least treat me with politeness.”

She became serious in a moment when she saw I was hurt, and did not lose her good-temper at my rude speech, but said pleasantly, “You are not fond of being teased, Mr. Highrank.  Never mind:  I don’t intend to take advantage of your blunder, nor keep you long in suspense.  Go “—­and she smiled as if she really could not help it—­“go, and be sensible in future.”

“You mean that you won’t marry me?” I asked.

“Don’t talk of that:  let us pretend we were in fun—­as of course we were—­and let me thank you for a very agreeable afternoon.”

I declare she looked so bewitching as she spoke that I wished she had thought me in earnest and accepted me.  It was real good in her, giving a fellow a second chance when she might have snapped him up directly.  I think girls ought to give a man two chances, but they seldom do.  Many a poor soul repents the moment the words are spoken, but he can’t help himself.  Generally, when ’tis done ’tis done.

She made a motion to rise:  I could not permit her to go without an explanation.  She had been so generous, and she was so beautiful, that I began to desire quite earnestly that she would be my wife, and that we could settle down at The Beauties together:  she would like the sorrel at any rate.  Perhaps Fortune had sent her to me this very afternoon, and I ought not to let the opportunity slip, but ask her seriously before she left.  Of course she would accept me if she knew I was in earnest.  She was too delicate to take advantage of a mistake—­mighty