When the party broke up, Cordis walked home with Madeline and Laura, whose paths lay together.
"I'm extremely fortunate," said he, as he was walking on with Laura, after leaving Madeline at her house, "to have a chance to escort the two belles of Newville at once." "I'm not so foolish as I look, Mr.Cordis," said she, rather sharply.

She was not going to let him think he could turn the head of every Newville girl as he had Madeline's with his city airs and compliments.
"You might be, and not mind owning it," he replied, making an excuse of her words to scrutinise her face with a frank admiration that sent the colour to her cheeks, though she was more vexed than pleased.
"I mean that I don't like flattery." "Are you sure ?" he asked, with apparent surprise.
"Of course I am.

What a question!" "Excuse me; I only asked because I never met any one before who didn't." "Never met anybody who didn't like to be told things about themselves which they knew weren't true, and were just said because somebody thought they were foolish enough to believe 'em ?" "I don't expect you to believe 'em yourself," he replied; "only vain people believe the good things people say about them; but I wouldn't give a cent for friends who didn't think better of me than I think of myself, and tell me so occasionally, too." They stood a moment at Laura's gate, and just then Henry, coming home from the gun-shop of which he was foreman, passed them, and entered the house.

"Is that your brother ?" asked Cordis.
"Yes." "It does one's eyes good to see such a powerful looking young man.

Is your brother married, may I ask ?" "He is not." "In coming into a new circle as I have done, you understand, Miss Burr, I often feel a certain awkwardness on account of not knowing the relations between the persons I meet," he said, apologizing for his questions.
Laura saw her opportunity, and promptly improved it.
"My brother has been attentive to Miss Brand for a long time.