"Here's Aunt Caroline," he said, "wanting us to believe that you and
Dicky Dod are engaged--you two that have quarrelled as naturally as
brother and sister ever since you were born. I guess you can tell her
whether it's very likely!"
I yawned, to gain time, but the widest yawn will not cover more than two
seconds.
"What an extraordinary question!" I said. It sounds weak, but that was
the way one felt.
"Don't prevaricate, Mamie, love," said Mrs. Portheris sternly.
"I'm not--I don't. But n-nothing of the kind is announced, is it?" I was
growing nervous under the Senatorial eye.
"Nothing of the kind _exists_," said poppa, the Doge all over, except
his umbrella. "Does it?"
"Why no," I said. "Dicky and I aren't engaged. But we have an
understanding."
I was extremely sorry. Mrs. Portheris was so triumphant, and poppa
allowed his irritation to get so much the better of him.
"Oh," he said, "you've got an understanding! Well, you've been too
intelligent, darned if you haven't!" The Senator pulled his beard in his
most uncompromising manner. "Now you can understand something more.
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