Shespoketothehorseandhebegantomove。Itookmycouragebetweenmyteeth，ranaftertheanimalandseizedthebridle。
\"Youarenotgoingalone，\"Isaid，decidedly。Iwassmiling，butdetermined。
Shelookedatmeinsurprisedindignation。
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"shesaid。
Imerelysmiled。Herchinliftedandherbrowsdrewtogether。I
recognizedthatlook；Ihadseenitbefore，onthatafternoonwhenIannouncedmyintentionofcarryingherfromthedingytotheskiff。
\"Willyoubegoodenoughtoletgoofmyrein？\"sheasked。Everywordwasasortofverbalicicle。Ifeltthechillandmysmilewasratherforced；butIheldthebridle。
\"No，\"Isaid，serenelyasIcould。Foraminute——Isupposeitwasnotlongerthanthat，itseemedanhourtome——weremainedaswewere。Thenherlipsbegantocurlupwardatthecorners，and，tomysurprise，sheburstoutlaughing。
\"Really，Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，\"youarethemostimpossiblepersonIevermet。Doyoualwaysorderpeopleaboutthisway？IfeelasifIwereaboutfiveyearsoldandyouweremynurse。Arewetostandheretherestoftheafternoon？\"
\"Yes；unlessyoupermitmetogowithyouandshowyoutheway。\"
\"ButIcan’t。I’mnotgoingtospoilyourpicnic。Iknowyouwantyourlunch。Youmust。Or，ifyoudon’t，Iwantmine。\"
\"Ifyougoalone，thereareninechancesintenthatyouwillnotgethomeintimefordinner，tosaynothingoflunch。\"
Shelookedatmeoddly，Ithought，andstartedtospeak。Whateveritwasshewasgoingtosaysheevidentlythoughtbetterofit，forsheremainedsilent。
ThenIhadanewidea。WhetherornotitwasherlookwhichinspireditIdonotknow。Ithinkitmusthavebeen；Ineverwouldhavedaredsuchathingwithoutinspiration。
\"MissColton，\"Isaid，hesitatingly，\"ifyoureallyarenot——ifyouaresureyourpeoplewillnotworryaboutyou——I——Ishouldbegladtosharemylunchwithyou。Thenwecouldgohometogetherafterward。\"
Shedidnotlookatmenow。Insteadsheturnedherhead。
\"Are——areyousurethereisenoughfortwo？\"sheasked，inacuriouslychokedtone。
BywayofanswerIledthehorsetothebushes，drewthelunchbasketfromtheshade，andthrewbackthecover。Dorinda’spicniclunchesweretriumphsandshehadneverputupamoretemptingone。
MissColtonlookeddownintothebasket。
\"Oh！\"sheexclaimed。
\"Thereappearstobeenough，doesn’tthere？\"Iobserved，drily。
\"But——butIcouldn’tthinkof……AreyousureIwon’tbe……
Thankyou。Yes，I’llstay。\"
BeforeIcouldoffermyhandtohelpherfromthesaddleshesprangtotheground。Hereyesweresparkling。
\"Mr。Paine，\"shesaid，inaburstofconfidence，\"itisshamelesstotellyouso，Iknow，butIwasdreadfullyafraidyouweren’tgoingtoaskme。IamabsolutelySTARVED。\"
CHAPTERXII
\"Andnow，\"continuedMissColton，afteranintervalduringwhich，Ipresume，shehadbeenwaitingforsomereplytoherfrankdeclarationconcerningmindandappetite，\"whatmustIdotohelp？
ShallIunpackthebasket？\"
Iwasstruggling，aswesayinDenboro，togettheshipundercontrol。IhadbeentakenabacksosuddenlythatIhadloststeerageway。Myslightexperiencewiththevagariesofthefemininemindhadnotpreparedmeforthelightningchangesofthiskind。Nottwominutesbeforeshehad，ifonemightjudgebyherlookandtone，beendeeplyoffended，almostinsulted，becauseI
refusedtopermitherwanderingoffaloneintothewoods。Myinvitationtolunchhadbeengivenonthespurofthemomentandwithnoideathatitwouldbeaccepted。Andshenotonlyaccepted，buthadexpectedmetoinviteher，hadbeenfearfulthatImightnotdoso。Shetoldmeso，herself。
\"ShallIunpackthebasket？\"sherepeated。Shewaslookingatmeintentlyandthetoeofherridingbootwaspattingtheleaves。
\"Whatisthematter？AreyousorryIamgoingtostay？\"
Itwashightimeformetogetunderway。Thereweresquallsonthehorizon。
\"Oh，no，no！\"Iexclaimed，hastily。\"Ofcoursenot。Iamdelighted。Butyouneednottroubletohelp。JustletmeattendtoyourhorseandIwillhavelunchreadyinajiffy。\"
IledDonovertothelittlegreenbeltofmeadowbetweenthetreesandthesandofthebeach，unbuckledthereinsandmadehimfasttoastoutbirch。Hebenthisheadandbegantopullbigmouthfulsoftherichgrass。He，too，wasevidentlygladtoacceptmyinvitation。
WhenIreturnedtomycampinggroundIfoundthebasketunpackedandtheyoungladyarrangingtheeatables。
\"Youshouldn’thavedonethat，\"Isaid。\"Iamthehosthere。\"
Shedidnotlookup。\"Don’tbotherthetablemaid，\"sheobserved，briskly。\"Thatfireisnotkindledyet。\"
Ilitthefireand，goingovertothebushes，selectedtwoofthefish，abassandapickerel。Icarriedthemdowntotheshoreofthepondandbegancleaningthem，usingmyjacknifeandaflatstone。Iwasnearingtheendoftheoperationwhenshecameovertowatch。
\"Whyareyoudoingthat？\"sheasked。\"Youarenotgoingtocookthem——now——areyou？\"
\"Iamgoingtotry，\"Ireplied。
\"Buthow？Youhaven’tanythingtocookthemin。\"
\"Idon’tneedit。Youdon’tappreciatetheconveniencesofthishotel，MissColton。There！nowwe’reready。\"
Irose，washedmyhandsinthepond，andpickeduptwootherflatstones，largeones，whichIhadpreviouslyputaside。TheseI
carriedtothefireand，rakingasidetheburninglogswithastick，laidthestonesinabedofhotcoals。
\"Thoseareourfryingpans，\"Iinformedher。\"Whentheyarehotenoughtheywillcookthefish。Atleast，Ihopetheywill。Nowforthecoffee。\"
Butshewavedmeaside。\"Thecoffeeismyaffair，\"shesaid。\"I
insistuponmakingthecoffee。Oh，youneednotlookatmelikethat。Iamnotaltogetheruseless。IstudiedDomesticScience——alittle——inmyprepschoolcourse。AsmuchasIstudiedanythingelse，\"laughingly。
\"But——\"
\"Mr。Paine，Iamnotonhorsebacknowandyoucan’tholdmybridleasyoudidDon’s。Ifyouwillfillthecoffeepotandputitontoboil。Thankyou。Iamgladtoseethatevenyouobeyorders，sometimes。\"
Ihadcookedfishinout—of—doorfashionoftenbefore，butIamquitesureInevertooksuchpainsasIdidwiththese。Theywerenotculinarytriumphs，evenatthat，butmyguestwaskindenoughtopronouncethemdelicious。Thelunchbasketcontainedtwoplates，butonlyoneknifeandfork。TheseIinsisteduponherusingandIgotonverywellwithsharpenedsticksandaspoon。
Thecoffeewas——well，ithadonequalification，strength。
Weconversedbutlittleduringthemeal。TheyoungladysaidshewastoohungrytotalkandIwassoconfoundedwiththestrangenessofthewholeaffairthatIwasgladtobesilent。Sittingoppositeme，eatingDorinda’sdoughnutsandapplepuffsandthefishthatI——_I_hadcooked，was\"BigJim\"Colton’sdaughter，theautomobilegirl，theheiress，the\"incarnationofsnobbery，\"theyoungladywhosefatherIhadbiddengotothedevilandtowhom，incompanywiththerestofthefamily，Ihadmanytimesmentallyextendedthesameinvitation。Andnowwewerepicnicingtogetherasifwewerefriendsoflongstanding。Why，NellieDeancouldnotappearmoreunpretentiousandunconsciousofsocialdifferencesthanthisgirlto—day！Whatwouldherparentssayiftheysawuslikethis？WhatwouldCaptainJed，andtherestofthoseinrebellionagainsttheEmperorofNewYork，say？ThatIwasatraitor，handandglovewiththeenemy。Well，Iwasnot；andIdidnotintendtobe。Butforherto——
Sheinterruptedmymeditations。
\"Mr。Paine，\"sheobserved，suddenly，\"youwillexcusemymentioningit，butyouaredistinctlynotentertaining。Youhavenotspokenawordforfiveminutes。Andyouarenotattendingtomyneeds。Theapplepuffsareonyoursideofthe——table。\"
Ihastenedtopassthepapercontainingthepuffs。
\"Ibegyourpardon，\"Isaid，hurriedly。\"I——Iwasdaydreaming，I
guess。\"
\"SoIimagined。Iforgiveyou；thislunchwouldtemptmetoforgivegreatersinsthanyours。Didthatdelightfuloldhousekeeperofyourscookallthesenicethings？\"
\"Shedid。SoyouthinkDorindadelightful，doyou？\"
\"Yes。Sheissosincereandgood—hearted。Andsooddandbrightandfunny。Icouldlistentoherforhours。\"
\"Humph！Well，ifyouwereamemberofherhouseholdyouwouldhavethatprivilegeoften。Idoubtifherhusbandconsidersitsuchaprivilege。\"
\"Herhusband？Oh，yes！Imethim。Heisacharacter，too，isn’the？\"
\"Yes；aweakone。\"
Sheputdownhercoffeecupandsighed，contentedly。
\"IthinkInevertastedanythingsogoodasthislunch，\"sheobserved。\"AndI’mquitesureIneveratesomuchatonesitting。
Iamgoingtohelpyouclearaway，butpleasedon’taskmetodoitjustnow。Haveyoufinished？Youmaysmoke，ifyoulike。\"
IhadbeenlongingforasmokeandnowIfilledmypipeandlightedit。
\"Nowwecantalk，can’twe？\"shesaid。\"Iwantyoutotellmeaboutyourmother。Howisshe？\"
\"Justasshewaswhenyousawher，\"Ianswered。\"Motherisalwaysthesame。\"
\"Sheisadear。IhadheardsomanynicethingsaboutherandI
wasnotdisappointed。IintendedtomakeonlyashortcallandI
stayedandstayed。IhopeIdidnottireher。\"
\"Notatall。Motherenjoyedyourcallexceedingly。\"
\"Didshe？Iamsoglad。Ireallyam。Iwenttoyourhousewithagooddealofmisgiving，Mr。Paine。Ifearedthatmycomingmightbeconsideredanintrusion。\"
\"Itoldyouthatitwouldnot。\"
\"Iknow。But，underthecircumstances——Father’sdisagreementwith——
consideringallthe——the——Oh，whatshallIcallit？\"
\"Thelateunpleasantness，\"Isuggested。
Againcamethetwinkleinhereye。Shenodded。
\"Thankyou，\"shesaid。\"Thatisaquotation，butitwascleverofyoutothinkofit。Yes，consideringthelateunpleasantness，I
wasafraidmyvisitmightbemisunderstood。Iwasfearfulthatyourmotheror——someone——mightthinkIcametherewithanulteriormotive，somethingconnectedwiththattroublesomeLanedispute。Ofcoursenoonedidthinksuchathing？\"
Sheaskedthequestionquicklyandwithintenseseriousness。I
rememberedLute’shintandmyownsecretsuspicions，butIansweredpromptly。
\"Ofcoursenot，\"Isaid。
\"Youdidnotthinkthat，didyou？\"
\"No，\"unblushingly。
\"IcamebecausefromwhatIhadheardofyourmotherIwassureshemustbeawonderfulwoman。Iwantedtomeether。AndsheIS
wonderful；andsopatientandsweetandgood。Ifellinlovewithher。Everyonemustloveher。Youshouldbeproudofyourmother，Mr。Paine。\"
\"Iam，\"Ianswered，simply。
\"Youhavereason。Andsheisveryproudofyou。\"
\"Withoutthereason，I’mafraid。\"
Shedidnotspeak。Hersilencehurt。IfeltthatIknewwhatshewasthinkingandIdeterminedtomakehersayit。
\"Withoutthereason，\"Irepeated。
\"Ididnotsaythat。\"
\"Butyouthoughtit。\"
Mystubbornpersistencewasamistake。Again，asatourmeetinginthegrove，Ihadgonetoofar。Heranswerwasascompletelyindifferentasspeechandtonecouldbe。
\"Indeed？\"shesaid，coldly。\"ItisbarelypossiblethatIdidnotthinkaboutitatall……Now，Mr。Paine，ifyouarereadyshallweclearaway？\"
Theclearing，mostofit，wasdonesilently。Iwashedtheplates，thecoffeepotandotherthings，inthepondandshepackedtheminthebasket。AsIreturnedwiththeknifeandforksIfoundherlookingatthecoffeepotandsmiling。
\"Whatisthematter？\"Iasked，sulkily。IwasprovokedwithmyselfforforgettingwhoandwhatIwas，andwithherformakingmeforget。\"Isn’titclean？\"
\"Why，yes，\"sheanswered，\"surprisinglyso。DidtheyteachDomesticScienceatyourcollege，too？\"
Istarted。\"MYcollege！\"Irepeated。\"HowdidyouknowIhadbeenatcollege？DidMothertellyou？\"
Shelaughedgleefully。
\"DidMothertellyou？\"Idemanded。\"Ifshedid——\"
\"Well，whatifshedid？However，shedidnot。Butyouhavetoldmenow。Harvard，wasit？orYale？\"
Itossedtheknifeandforkintothebasketandturnedaway。
\"Princeton，perhaps，\"suggestedMissColton。
Iwalkedoverandbegantounjointmyrod。Iwasafooltobetrappedlikethis。NooneinDenboroexceptMotherandGeorgeTaylorknewofmybriefcollegecareer，andnowIhad，practically，toldthisgirlofit。Shemight——ifsheweresufficientlyinterestedtoremember，whichwasfortunatelynotprobable——tellherfatherandhemightaskotherquestionsconcerningmyhistory。
Wherewouldthosequestionslead？
IwasangrilytuggingattherodwhenIheardherstepbehindme。
Ididnotturn。
\"Ibegyourpardon，\"shesaid。
Ipretendednottohear。
\"Ibegyourpardon，Mr。Paine，\"shesaidagain。
\"It’sallright，\"Imuttered。\"Noapologiesarenecessary。\"
Isaiditlikeasullenschoolboy。Therewasanothermomentofsilence。ThenIheardhermoveaway。Ilookedovermyshoulder。
ShewaswalkingtowardthemeadowwhereDon，thehorse，waspicketed。Therewasoffendeddignityineverylineofherfigure。
ForamomentIfoughtwithmyprideandinjuredself—respect。ThenIhurriedafterher。
\"MissColton，\"Isaid。
\"Well？\"sheneitherturnednorstopped。
\"MissColton，Ishouldnothaveansweredlikethat。Iwasrude。\"
Shestopped。\"Youwere，\"shesaid。
\"Iknowit。Iamsorry。Iapologize。\"
\"Noapologiesarenecessary。\"
Herewastitfortat。Ididnotknowwhatmoretosay，soIsaidnothing。
\"DoIunderstandthatyouaskmypardon？\"sheinquired，stillwithoutturning。
\"Ido。Ifyouwillpermitme，Iwillexplain。I——\"
Shewhirledaboutandfacedme。Tomyastonishmentshewassmilingoncemore。
\"Ofcourseyouwon’texplain，\"shedeclared。\"Ihadnorighttoaskyouaboutyourcollege。ButIcouldn’thelpguessing。ItoldyouthatIlikedpuzzles。We’llsaynomoreaboutit。IhaveenjoyedthispicnicandIwon’thaveitspoiled。Nowwhyareyoutakingyourrodapart？\"
\"BecauseIknowyouwanttogohomeandIamgoingwithyoutoshowyoutheway。\"
\"ButIdon’thavetogoyet，doI？Itisnotlate。AndIthoughtperhapsyouwouldletmeseeyoucatchanotherbass。Won’tyou？
Please。\"
Oncemoreshehadmeatadisadvantage。Ihadnodesireformorefishing，andIwasfearfuloffurtherquestions，butwhatcouldI
do？Anditwasnotlate——butalittlepasttwoo’clock。
SoIriggedtherodagainandledthewaydowntheshoretothespotwherethesedgeextendedoutintothepond，withthelilypadsbeyondit。Shewalkedbesideme。ThensheseatedherselfonafallentreeandIbaitedthehookwithalivelyminnowandcast。
ForsometimeIgotnotevenanibble。AsIwaitedsheandI
talked。ButnowitwasIwhoquestioned。
\"DoyoulikeDenboro？\"Iasked。
\"Iambeginningtolikeitverymuch。AtfirstIthoughtitverydull，butnowIamgettingacquainted。\"
\"Therearefewcottagersandsummerpeoplehere。ButinHarnissthereisalargecolony。Verynicepeople，Ibelieve。\"
\"Yes，Ihavemetsomeofthem。ButitwasnotthesummerpeopleI
meant。Iambeginningtoknowthetownspeopleandtolikesomeofthem。ImetthatdelightfuloldCaptainWarrentheotherday。\"
\"Heisasgoodastheymake。\"
\"Indeedheis。AndIhadaninterviewwithanothercaptain，MissDean’sfather，yesterday。Wehadaninterestingencounter。\"
\"SoIshouldimagine。CaptainJed！Whew！ItMUSThavebeeninteresting。\"
\"Itwas。Oh，wewereveryfierceatfirst——atleasthewas，andI
foughtformysideashardasIcould。HesaidFatherwasaselfishpigforwantingtoclosetheLane，andIsaiditwasbecauseofitsusebythepigsthathewishedtocloseit。\"
\"Ha！ha！Howdiditend？\"
\"Oh，weagreedtodisagree。IrespectCaptainDeanforhisfight；
butFatherwillwin，ofcourse。Healwaysdoes。\"
\"Hewon’twinthistime，MissColton。\"
\"Whynot？Oh，IactuallyforgotIwastalkingtotheheadandfrontoftheopposition。Soyouthinkhewillnotwin，Mr。Paine？\"
\"Iamsureofit。HecannotclosethatLaneuntilIsellit，andI
shallnotsell。\"
Sheregardedmethoughtfully，herchinuponherhand。
\"Itwouldbeoddifheshouldnot，afterall，\"shesaid。\"Heprideshimselfonhavinghisownway。Itwouldbestrangeifheshouldbebeatendownhere，afterwinningsoofteninNewYork。
Yourmothertoldmesomethingofyourfeelinginthematter，Mr。
Paine。Fatherhasofferedyouagoodpricefortheland，hasn’the？\"
\"Hehasofferedmeadozentimeswhatitisworth。\"
\"Yes。Hedoesnotcountmoneywhenhehassethisheartuponanything。Andyourefused？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"ButNellieDeansaysthetownalsowishedtobuyandyourefuseditsoffer，too。\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Youdon’tseemtocareformoney，either，Mr。Paine。AreallCapeCodpeoplesounmercenary？Orisitthatyouallhavemoneyenough——……Pardonme。Thatwasimpolite。Ispokewithoutthinking。\"
\"Oh，nevermind。Iamnotsensitive——onthatpoint，atleast。\"
\"ButIdomind。AndIamsorryIsaidit。AndIshouldliketounderstand。IseewhythetownspeopledonotwanttheLaneclosed。
Butyouhavenotlivedherealways。Onlyafewyears，soMissDeansays。Shesaid，too，thatthatMr。Taylor，thecashier，wasalmosttheonlyintimatefriendyouhavemadesinceyoucame。Otherswouldliketobefriendly，butyouwillnotpermitthemtobe。
And，yetforthesepeople，mereacquaintances，youaresacrificingwhatFatherwouldcallaprofitabledeal。\"
\"Notaltogetherforthem。Ican’texplainmyfeelingexactly。I
knowonlythattosellthemoutandmakemoney——andheavenknowsI
needmoney——attheirexpenseseemstomedeadwrong。\"
\"Thenwhydon’tyouselltoTHEM？\"
\"Idon’tknow。Unlessitwasbecausetorefuseyourfather’sofferandacceptaloweroneseemedameantrick，too。AndIwon’tbebulliedintosellingtoanyone。Iguessthatisit，asmuchasanything。\"
\"My！howstubbornyoumustbe。\"
\"Idon’tknowwhyIhavepreachedthissermontoyou，MissColton。
yoursympathiesinthefightarewithyourfather，naturally。\"
\"Oh，no，theyarenot。\"
Ialmostdroppedtherod。
\"Not——with——\"Irepeated。
\"Notaltogether。Theyarewithyou，justatpresent。Ifyouhadsold——ifyouhadgivenintoFather，feelingasyoudo，Ishouldnothaveanysympathywithyouatall。Asitis——\"
\"Asitis？\"Iaskedeagerly——tooeagerly。Ishouldhavedonebettertopretendindifference。
\"Asitis，\"sheanswered，lightly，\"IrespectyouasIwouldanysincerefighterforalosingcause。AndIshallprobablyfeelsomesympathyforyouafterthecauseislost。Excusemybreakinginonyoursermon，provideditisnotfinished，but——Ithinkyouhaveabite，Mr。Paine。\"
Ihad，verymuchofabite。Theminnowonmyhookhadbeenforgottenandallowedtosinktothebottom，andabigpouthadswallowedit，alongwiththehookandasectionofline。Idraggedthecreatureoutofthewaterandperformedasurgicaloperation，resultingintherecoveryofmytackle。
\"There！\"Iexclaimed，indisgust。\"IthinkIhavehadenoughfishingforoneday。Supposewecallitoff。Unlessyouwouldliketotry，MissColton。\"
Imadetheofferbywayofajoke。Sheaccepteditinstantly。
\"MayI？\"shecried，eagerly。\"IhavebeendyingtoeversinceI
came。
\"But——butyouwillgetwet。\"
\"Nomatter。Thisisanoldsuit。\"
Itdidnotlookoldtomycountrifiedeyes，butIprotestednomore。Therewasarockalittlebelowwherewethenwere，oneofthetypicalglacialbouldersoftheCape——lyingjustattheedgeofthewaterandprojectingoutintoit。Ihelpedherupontothisrockandbaitedherhookwithshrimp。
\"ShallIcastforyou？\"Iasked。
\"Noindeed。Icandoit，thankyou。\"
Shedid，anddiditwell。Moreover，thelinehadscarcelystraightenedoutinthewaterwhenitwassavagelyjerked，thepolebentintoahalf—circle，andoutofthefoamingeddybeneathitstipleapedthebiggestbassIhadseenthatday，orinthatpondonanyday。
\"ByGeorge！\"Iexclaimed。\"Canyouhandlehim？ShallI——\"
Shedidnotlookatme，butIreceivedmyorders，nevertheless。
\"Pleasedon’t！Keepaway！\"shesaidsharply。
Fornearlyfifteenminutesshefoughtthatfish，inandoutamongthepads，keepingthelinetight，handlinghimatleastaswellasIcouldhavedone。Iranforthelandingnetand，asshebroughthercaptiveupbesidetherock，reachedforwardtouseit。Butshestoppedme。
\"No，\"shesaid，breathlessly，\"Iwanttodothisallmyself。\"
Ittookherseveralmoreminutestodoit，andshewasprettywellsplashed，whenatlast，withtheheavynetdraggingfromonehandandtherodintheother，shesprangdownfromtherock。Togetherwebentoverthefish。
\"Afour—pounder，ifheisanounce，\"saidI。\"Icongratulateyou，MissColton。\"
\"Poorthing，\"shemused。\"Iamalmostsorryhedidnotgetaway。
HeISabeauty，isn’the！NowIamreadytogohome。\"
Thatjourneyhomewasastrangeexperiencetome。SherodeDonandborethelunchbasketandthenetbeforeheronthesaddle。I
walkedalongside，carryingtherod，boots，andthefishintheotherwiseemptybaitpail。Thesunshine，streamingthroughtheleavesofthearchingboughsoverhead，dappledthenarrow，overgrownpathswithshiftingblotchesoflightandshadow。Arounduswasthedeep，livinggreenofthewoods，thesongsofbirds，thechatterofredsquirrels，andthescentofwildhoneysuckle。Andaswemovedonwardwetalked——thatis，shedidmostofthetalkingandIlistened。YetImusthavetalkedmorethanIknew，becauseI
rememberexpressingopinionsconcerningbooksandoperasandpictures，subjectsIhadnotdiscussedforyearsexceptoccasionallywithMother，andthenonlybecauseshewasstillinterestedinthem。
Iseemed，somehow，tohavebecomeadifferent，ayoungerman，undertheinfluenceofthesefewhourswiththegirlIhadprofessedtohatesocordially。Ourcompanionship——perfectlymeaninglessasitwas，themerecapriceofanidledayonherpart——hadrejuvenatedme。DuringthathomewardwalkIforgotmyselfentirely，forgotthatIwasRosPaine，thecountryloafer；forgot，too，thatshewastheonlychildofthecitymillionaire，thatwehad，orcouldhave，nothingincommon。She，also，seemedtoforget，andwechattedtogetherasunconsciouslyandeasilyasifwehadknowneachotherallourlives。