Page:Life's little ironies (1894).pdf/211

me to ride home with you? she says, seeing that he was for driving past with a nod and a smile,

“'Ah, to be sure! What was I thinking of ? said Tony, in a flutter. ‘But you seem as if you was staying at your aunt's?’

“'No, I am not,’ she said, ‘Don’t you see I have my bonnet and jacket on? I have only called to ace her on my way bome. How can you be so stupid, Tony?

"'In that case—ah—of course you must come along wi'me,’ says Tony, feeling a dim sort of sweat rising up inside his clothes, And he reined in the horse, and waited till she’d come down-stairs, and then helped her up beside him. He drove on again, his face as long as a face that was a round one by nature well could be.

"Hannah looked round sideways into his eyes. ‘This is nice, isn’t it, Tony? she says. ‘I like riding with you.’

“Tony looked back into her eyes. ‘And I with you,” he said, after a while. In short, having considered her, he warmed up, and the more he looked at her the more he liked her, till he couldn’t for the life of him think why he had ever said a word about marriage to Milly or Unity while Hannah Jolliver was in question. So they sat a little closer and closer, their feet upon the foot-board and their shoulders touching, and Tony thought over and over again how handsome Hannah was. He spoke tenderer and tenderer, and called her ‘dear Hannah’ in a whisper at last.

“'You've settled it with Milly by this time, I suppose,’ said she.

“'N—no, not exactly.’

“'What? How low you talk, Tony.’

“'Yes—I've a kind of hoarseness. I said, not exactly.’