For the moment she
disliked him. If he had tried to put his hand upon her she would have
struck him in quick rage at his presumption. He had not the slightest
intention of doing so, but the sudden rush of feeling that her words
had evoked, made him oblivious to the startled withdrawal of her manner.
"Answer me," he said. "Would you miss me? Am I anything to you?"
She leaped to her feet, laughing not quite naturally, for her heart was
beating hard and she had suddenly shrunk within herself, her spirit
alert and angrily defensive in its maiden stronghold.
"Miss you," she said in a matter-of-fact tone that laid sentiment dead
at a blow, "of course I'd miss you," then backed away from him,
brushing off her skirt.
He rose and stood watching her with a lover's hang-dog look. She
glanced at him, read his face and once more felt secure in her
ascendency. Her debonair self-assurance came back with a lowering of
her pulse and a remounting to her old position of condescending
command. But a parting lesson would not be amiss and she turned from
him, saying with a carefully tempered indifference:
"And Leff, too.
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