'All's fair in love and war,' and a girl's title to popularity is based on the number of scalp-locks she takes." Lloyd had despised her for that speech, and now to have Bernice openly say that she was capable of such an action was more than she could endure calmly.

She set her teeth together hard, and gripped the little fan she still happened to be carrying, as if it were some live thing she was trying to strangle.
"And she said," Mary added, slowly, reluctant to add fuel to the flame, yet unable to withstand the impelling force of Lloyd's eyes, which demanded the whole truth, "she said that she had been sure for some time that Mr.Shelby was just on the verge of proposing to her, and that, if you succeeded in playing the same game with him that you did with Malcolm, she'd get even with you if it took her till her dying day.
Then, right on top of that, you know, she heard him ask if you'd go horseback riding with him.

So that's why she was so angry she wouldn't bid you good night." Lloyd's clenched hand tightened its grasp on the fan till the delicate sticks crunched against each other.

She was breathing so hard that the little arrow on her dress rose and fell rapidly.

The silence was so intense that Mary was frightened.