He eyed her with cynical amused suspicion. "Why did you call me _Mr._
Norman just then? Usually you don't call me at all. It's been weeks
since you have called me Mister. Was your doing it just then one of
those subtle, adroit, timely tricks of yours?"
She was the picture of puzzled innocence. "I don't understand," she
said.
"Well--perhaps you don't," said he doubtfully. "At any rate, don't call
me Mr. Norman. Call me Fred."
"I can't. It isn't natural. You seem Mister to me. I always think of you
as Mr. Norman."
"That's it. And it must stop!"
She smiled with innocent gayety. "Very well--Fred. . . . Fred. . . . Now
that I've said it, I don't find it strange." She looked at him with an
expression between appeal and mockery. "If you'd only let me get
acquainted with you. But you don't. You make me feel that I've got to be
careful with you--that I must be on my guard. I don't know against
what--for you are certainly the very best friend that I've ever had--the
only real friend."
He frowned and bit his lip--and felt uncomfortable, though he protested
to himself that he was simply irritated at her slyness. Yes, it must be
slyness.
"So," she went on, "there's no _reason_ for being on guard. Still, I feel
that way." She looked at him with sweet gravity. "Perhaps I shouldn't if
you didn't talk about love to me and kiss me in a way I feel you've no
right to."
Again he laid his hands upon her shoulders. This time he gazed angrily
into her eyes. "Are you a fool? Or are you making a fool of me?" he
said. "I can't decide which."
"I certainly am very foolish," was her apologetic answer. "I don't know
a lot of things, like you and father. I'm only a girl."
And he had the maddening sense of being baffled again--of having got
nowhere, of having demonstrated afresh to himself and to her his own
weakness where she was concerned. What unbelievable weakness! Had there
ever been such another case? Yes, there must have been. How little he
had known of the possibilities of the relations of men and women--he
who had prided himself on knowing all!