ADVICE.
Mrs. Davis drew Numè into a corner of the balcony, and sat down to give
her a little lecture.
"Now, dear, I'm going to speak to you, not as your hostess, but as
your--a--chaperon--and friend. You must not speak too familiarly to any
man. Now, you ought not to have sat with Mr. Sinclair so long. There
were lots of other men around you, and you didn't speak to any of them."
"Bud I do _nod_ lig' all the udder mans," the girl protested. "_Me?_ I
lig' only the--a--Mister Sinka."
"Yes; but, Numè, you must not like people so--so quickly. And you must
not let any one know it, if you do."
"Oa, I tell him so," the girl said, stubbornly. "I tell Mr.--Sinka thad
I lig' him _vaery_ much; and I ask thad he sit with me, so thad too many
peoples nod to speak to me."
Mrs. Davis looked very much concerned at this confession.
"Now, that _was_ imprudent, my dear; besides, you know," she spoke very
slowly and deliberately, "Mr. Sinclair is to be married soon to Miss
Ballard, and so you ought to be very particular, so that no one can have
the chance to say anything about you."
The girl's bright eyes flashed.
"Mr. Sinka nod led me thing' thad," she said, remembering how Sinclair
had evaded the question. "I ask him thad the pretty lady is betrothed
and he make me thing'--no."
Mrs. Davis was silent a moment.
"Er--that's only a way American men have, Numè. You must not believe
them; and be very careful not to tell them you like
them--because--because they--they often laugh at girls who do that."
Numè did not stir. She sat very still and quiet.
Mr. Davis joined them, and noticing the girl's constrained face, he
inquired what was the matter.
"Nothing at all, my dear," the American lady said. "I was just giving
Numè some pointers."
"Look here, Jenny, you'll spoil her--make her into a little prig, first
thing you know. At least, she is genuine now, and unaffected."
"Walter," Mrs. Davis said, rising with dignity, "Mrs. Ballard thought it
outrageous for Sinclair to have sat with her all evening. I never knew
him to do such a thing before with any one. That makes it all the more
noticeable. Cleo, too, was quite perturbed."
When the party broke up and the guests were slowly passing into their
jinrikishas, numbers of them lingered in the garden, bidding laughing
farewells.
Numè, who was spending the night with Mrs. Davis, stood a lonely little
figure in the shadow of the balcony. She did not wish to say good-bye
to any of them--she did not like the pretty Americans, she told
herself, because she did not believe them any longer.
Sinclair went up to her, holding out his hand.
"Good-night, Miss Numè," he said.
The girl put her little hand behind her.
"Numè not lig' any longer big Americazan gentlemans," she said. "Mrs.
Davees tell me nod to lig'--goonight,"--this last very stiffly and
politely.
The man smiled grimly: "Ah, Miss Numè," he said, "you must always choose
your own--like whom you choose;--don't let any one tell you who to like
and who not to."
He looked searchingly at her face a moment, then turned and passed out
with the other guests, understanding the truth.