Then this old dress! I probably appear to him a
perfect guy." And she began to hate it, and devoted it to the rag-
bag the moment she could get it off.
This line of thought, once begun, seemed so rational that she
wondered it had not occurred to her before. "The idea of my being
so ridiculously on the defensive!" she thought. "No, it wasn't
ridiculous either, as far as my action went, for he can never say
I ACTED as if I wanted him to speak. My conceit in expecting him
to speak the moment he got a chance WAS absurd. He has begun to be
very polite and formal. That's always the way with men when they
want to back out of anything. He came out to look us over, and me
in particular; he made himself into a scarecrow just because I
looked like one, and now will go home and laugh it all over with
his city friends. Oh, why did he come and spoil my day? Even he
said it WAS my day, and he has done a mean thing in spoiling it.
Well, he may not carry as much self-complacency back to town as he
thinks he will. Such a cold-blooded spirit, too!--to come upon us
unawares in order to spy out everything, for fear he might get
taken in! You were very attentive and flattering in the city, sir,
but now you are disenchanted.
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