At first she gave him no answer. She was obviously thinking, and Duncan let her think on. He thought she looked exceedingly pretty while thinking. He observed a slight puckering of her forehead at the time, which seemed to him to add interest to her face. After a little she aid:
"Thank you, Mr. Duncan, for your invitation. I am more pleased with it than I can say. But I think I must ask you to excuse me. I think I can't possibly go to the dance."
"May I ask why not? Do you not care for dancing and society?"
"Oh, I care very much--or, rather," she added, with scrupulous fidelity to truth--"I should care very much to attend this party--I should enjoy it more than anything, but----"
"Will you think me impertinent," Duncan asked, when she thus stopped in the middle of her sentence, "will y
