Mrs. Gallagher for instance," she looked at him slyly.
"Ah—you know what I mean!"
"How should I if you don't tell me?"
He moved uneasily.
"Better than anybody!"
She considered.
"Better than Edith Blakely?"
Ben hesitated, and Nan suddenly felt more than a pang of jealousy.
"More than Edith Blakely?" The demand this time was vehement.
"More than Edith Blakely," he admitted.
After another silence Nan said innocently:
"It isn't so much to say that you like me better than anybody."
"What would I say?" he asked, surprised.
"Can't you imagine?" Her eyes danced.
He shook his head.
"You might say that you love me."
He drew back startled.
"Lord! I couldn't say that!"
She took her hand away. "Of course not, if you don't feel it."
"'Tain't that," he explained anxiously; "but that's soft. That's talkin' like a novel."
