“What’s the padlock for?”

“Nothing,” she panted.  “What is it you want?”

“You writin’ poetry?”

Laura’s eyes dilated; she looked dangerous.

“Oh, I don’t care about your old book,” said Hedrick, with an amused nonchalance Talleyrand might have admired.  “There’s callers, and you have to come down.”

“Who sent you?”

“A man I’ve often noticed around the house,” he replied blightingly.  “You may have seen him—­I think his name’s Madison.  His wife and he both sent for you.”

One of Laura’s hands instinctively began to arrange her hair, but the other remained upon the book.  “Who is it calling?”

“Richard Lindley and that Wade Trumble.”

Laura rose, standing between her brother and the table.  “Tell mother I will come down.”

Hedrick moved a little nearer, whereupon, observing his eye, she put her right hand behind her upon the book.  She was not deceived, and boys are not only superb strategic actors sometimes, but calamitously quick.  Appearing to be unaware of her careful defence, he leaned against the wall and crossed his feet in an original and interesting manner.

“Of course you understand,” he said cosily.  “Cora wants to keep this Corliss in a corner of the porch where she can coo at him; so you and mother’ll have to raise a ballyhoo for Dick Lindley and that Wade Trumble.  It’d been funny if Dick hadn’t noticed anybody was there and kissed her.  What on earth does he want to stay engaged to her for, anyway?”

“You don’t know that she is engaged to Mr. Lindley, Hedrick.”

“Get out!” he hooted.  “What’s the use talking like that to me?  A blind mackerel could see she’s let poor old Lindley think he’s High Man with her these last few months; but he’ll have to hit the pike now, I reckon, ’cause this Corliss is altogether too pe-rin-sley for Dick’s class.  Lee roy est mort.  Vive lee roy!”

“Hedrick, won’t you please run along?  I want to change my dress.”

“What for?  There was company for dinner and you didn’t change then.”

Laura’s flushed cheeks flushed deeper, and in her confusion she answered too quickly.  “I only have one evening gown.  I—­of course I can’t wear it every night.”

“Well, then,” he returned triumphantly, “what do you want to put it on now for?”

“Please run along, Hedrick,” she pleaded.

“You didn’t for this Corliss,” he persisted sharply.  “You know Dick Lindley couldn’t see anybody but Cora to save his life, and I don’t suppose there’s a girl on earth fool enough to dress up for that Wade Trum——­”

“Hedrick!” Laura’s voice rang with a warning which he remembered to have heard upon a few previous occasions when she had easily proved herself physically stronger than he.  “Go and tell mother I’m coming,” she said.

He began to whistle “Beulah Land” as he went, but, with the swift closing of the door behind him, abandoned that pathetically optimistic hymn prematurely, after the third bar.