Bowser.
"You got the note?" she asked.
"It was a great pleasure."
"Mrs. Bowser wished so much to see you again. She has been singing your
praises--you were such an agreeable young man."
I cursed Mrs. Bowser in my heart.
"I am most flattered," I said politely.
There was a mischievous sparkle in Mrs. Knapp's eye, but her face was
serenely gracious.
"I believe there was some arrangement between you about a trip to see
the sights of Chinatown. Mrs. Bowser was quite worried for fear you had
forgotten it, so I gave her your address and told her to write you a
note."
I had not been conscious of expecting anything from my visit, but at
this bit of information I found that I had been building air-castles
which had been invisible till they came tumbling about my ears. I could
not look for Miss Knapp's company on such an expedition.
"Oh," said I, with an attempt to conceal my disappointment, "the matter
had slipped my mind. I shall be most happy to attend Mrs. Bowser, or to
see that she has a proper escort."
We had been walking about the room during this conversation, and at
this point had come to an alcove where Mrs. Knapp motioned me to a
seat.
"I may not get a chance to talk with you alone again this evening," she
continued, dropping her half-bantering tone, "and you come so little
now. What are you doing?"
"Keeping out of mischief."
"Yes, but how?" she persisted. "You used to tell me everything. Now you
tell me nothing.
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