That's the sort of treatment a fellow enjoys and ought to get if he behaves himself; not frowns and cold shoulders year in and year out, and made to look like a fool when he means well, and is faithful, and has loved a girl ever since he was a boy.

No, by Jove, it's not fair, and I won't stand it!' Tom waxed warm and eloquent as he thought over his wrongs, and bounced up to march about the room, wagging his head and trying to feel aggrieved as usual, but surprised to find that his heart did not ache a bit.
'I wouldn't.

Drop the old fancy, for it was nothing more, and take up the new one, if it is genuine.

But how came you to propose, Tom, as you must have done to be engaged ?' asked Mrs Jo, impatient for the crisis of the tale.
'Oh, that was an accident.

I didn't mean it at all; the donkey did it, and I couldn't get out of the scrape without hurting Dora's feelings, you see,' began Tom, seeing that the fatal moment had come.
'So there were two donkeys in it, were there ?' said Mrs Jo, foreseeing fun of some sort.
'Don't laugh! It sounds funny, I know; but it might have been awful,' answered Tom darkly, though a twinkle of the eye showed that his love trials did not quite blind him to the comic side of the adventure.
'The girls admired our new wheels, and of course we liked to show off.
Took 'em to ride, and had larks generally.