It was very rude of me, but in another minute I should have been guilty of a worse affront.

My annoyance had deepened into something like dismay.

It was not only Bob Evers who was misconstruing my little attentions to Mrs.Lascelles.I was more or less prepared for that.

But here were outsiders talking about us--the three of us! So far from putting a stop to the talk, I had given it a regular fillip: here were Quinby and his friends as keen as possible to see what would happen next, if not betting on a row.

The situation had taken a sudden turn for the worse.