I'm as old as the hills, of course, and it ought not to make any difference; but if I'M old enough, you're not," she objected gaily.

"I'm dying for tea--but isn't there a quieter place ?" He answered her smile, which rested on him vividly.

Her discretions interested him almost as much as her imprudences: he was so sure that both were part of the same carefully-elaborated plan.

In judging Miss Bart, he had always made use of the "argument from design." "The resources of New York are rather meagre," he said; "but I'll find a hansom first, and then we'll invent something." He led her through the throng of returning holiday-makers, past sallow-faced girls in preposterous hats, and flat-chested women struggling with paper bundles and palm-leaf fans.

Was it possible that she belonged to the same race?
The dinginess, the crudity of this average section of womanhood made him feel how highly specialized she was.
A rapid shower had cooled the air, and clouds still hung refreshingly over the moist street.
"How delicious! Let us walk a little," she said as they emerged from the station.
They turned into Madison Avenue and began to stroll northward.