gnoring Harry
completely, backing away as he retraced his steps, a look of triumph on
his face.

She shook her head at him, but she did not answer. She wanted to get rid
of him as quickly as possible. Willits had spoiled everything. She was
so happy before he came, and Harry was so adorable. She wished now she
had not drawn away her cheek when he tried to kiss her.

"Don't be angry, Harry, dear," she pleaded coaxingly, determined to get
her lover back once more. "He didn't mean anything--he only wanted to be
polite."

"He didn't want to be polite," the angry lover retorted. "He meant to
force himself in between us; that is what he meant, and he's always at
it, every chance he gets. He tried it at Mrs. Cheston's the other night
until I put a stop to it, but there's one thing certain--he'll stop it
when our engagement is announced after supper or I'll know the reason
why."

Kate caught her breath. A new disturbing thought entered her mind.
It was at Mrs. Cheston's that both Willits and Harry had misbehaved
themselves, and it was Harry's part in the sequel which she had
forgiven. The least said about that night the better.

"But he is your guest, Harry," she urged at last, still determined to
divert his thoughts from Willits and the loss of the dance--"OUR guest,"
she went on--"so is everybody else here to-night, and we must do what
everybody wants us to, not be selfish about it. Now, my darling--you
couldn't be impolite to anybody--don't you know you couldn't? Mrs.
Cheston calls you 'My Lord Chesterfield'--I heard her say so to-night."

"Yes, I know, Kate"--he softened--"that's what father said about my
being polite to him--but all the same I didn't want Willits invited, and
it's only because father insisted that he's here. Of course, I'm
going to be just as polite to him as I can, but even father would feel
differently about him if he had heard what he said to you a minute ago."

"What did he say?" She knew, but she loved to hear him defend her. This,
too, was a way out--in a minute he would be her old Harry again.

"I won't even repeat it," he answered doggedly.

"You mean about my being twenty-one? That was rather ungallant, wasn't
it?"

Again that long look from under her eyelids--he would have succumbed at
once could he have seen it.

"No, the other part of it. That's not the way to speak to a lady.
That's what I dislike him for. He never was born a gentleman. He isn't a
gentleman and never can be a gen