Mary hesitated.

“Why don’t you take up my request?” He spoke with covert impatience.

“I am sure she wishes to be excused to-night,” persisted the girl.  “She’s not at all herself; and it will be cruel to drag her down.”

But Dexter waved his hand, and said, sharply: 

“I wish to hear no more from you, Miss Pert!  Go to Miss Loring, and tell her that she will confer a favor by seeing me this evening.  I can receive no apology but sickness.”

Jessie was sitting as Mary had left her, both hands covering her face, when that kind-hearted creature returned.

“It’s too much!” exclaimed the girl, as she entered.  “He must see you, he says.  I told him you wasn’t well, and wished to be excused.  But no, he must see you!  Something’s gone wrong with him.  He’s all out of sorts, and spoke as if he’d take my head off.  He really frightened me!”

Jessie drew a long deep sigh.

“If I must, I must,” she said, rising and looking at her face in the mirror.

“I wouldn’t go one step, Miss Jessie, if I were you.  I’d like to see the man who dared order me down in this style.  He’s jealous; that’s the long and short of it.  Punish him—­he deserves it.”

“Jealous, Mary?” Miss Loring turned to the girl with a startled look.  “Why do you say that?”

“Oh, he asked me if you hadn’t a visitor to-night.”

“Well?”

“I said yes.  Only ‘yes,’ and no more.”

“Why yes, and no more?” asked Miss Loring.

“D’ye think I was going to gratify him!  What business had he to ask whether you had a visitor or not?  You ain’t sold to him.”

“Mary!” There was reproof in the look and voice of Miss Loring.  “You must not speak so of Mr. Dexter.”

“Well, I won’t if it displeases you.  But I was downright mad with him.”

“You said yes to his question.  What then, Mary?”

“Oh, then he wanted to know who he was.”

“Did you tell him?”

“No.”

“Why?  And what did you answer?”

“I wasn’t going to gratify him; and I said that I didn’t know.”

“Well?”

“‘Was he a stranger?’ said he.  ‘I didn’t see him,’ said I.  ’You let him in?’ said he.  ‘No, the cook went to the door,’ said I. You should have seen him then.  He was baffled.  Then looking almost savage, he bid me tell you that you must see him to-night.”

“Must see him!  Did he say must?”

There was rebellion in Jessie’s voice.

“Well no, not just that word.  But he looked and meant it, which is all the same.”

“Then he doesn’t know who called to see me?”

“Not from all he got from me, miss.  But you’re not going down?”

“Yes, Mary; I will see him as he desires.  Go and say that I will join him in a few minutes.”

The girl obeyed, and Jessie, after struggling a few moments with her feelings, went down to the parlor, where Mr. Dexter awaited her.