u refer, sir," she replied freezingly.

He was terrified at the distant accent of her voice. It appeared to come
from somewhere beyond the fixed stars, and brought the chill of the
interstellar spaces with it. He forgot in an instant all about his
pique, vexation and wounded pride, and was in a panic of anxiety to
bring her back. In a moment more he knew that she would rise from her
chair and remark that it was getting cold and she must go in. If he
allowed her to depart in that mood he might lose her for ever. He could
think of but one way of convincing her instantaneously of his devotion;
and so what should he do but take the most inopportune occasion in the
entire course of their acquaintance to make his declaration? He was like
a general whose plan of battle has been completely deranged by an
utterly unexpected repulse in a preliminary movement, compelling him to
hurry forward his last reserves in a desperate attempt to restore the
battle.

"What have I done, Miss Dwyer? Don't you know that I love you? Won't you
be my wife?"

"No, sir," she said flatly, her taste outraged and her sensibilities set
on edge by the stupid, blundering, hammer-and-tongs onset which from
first to last he had made. She loved him, and had meant to accept him,
but if she had loved him ten times as much she couldn't have helped
refusing him just then, under those circumstances--not if she died for
it. As she spoke she rose and disappeared within the car.

It is certainly to be hoped that the noise of the wheels, which out on
the platform was considerable, prevented the recording angel from
getting the full force of Lombard's ejaculation.

It is bad enough to be refused when the delicacy and respectfulness of
the lady's manner make "No" sound so much like "Yes" that the rejected
lover can almost persuade himself that his ears have deceived him. It is
bad enough to be refused when she does it so timidly and shrinkingly and
deprecatingly that it might be supposed she were the rejected party. It
is bad enough to be refused when she expresses the hope that you will
always be friends, and shows a disposition to make profuse amends in
general agreeableness for the consummate favor which she is forced to
decline you. Not to put too fine a point upon it, it is bad enough to be
refused anyhow you can arrange the circumstances, but to be refused as
Lombard had been, with a petulance as wounding to his dignity as was the
refusal itself to his affect