Dr. Delmour was immovable in the good graces of Professor Bottomly; and
the only way for me to retain my position was to marry her.
The thought comforted me. After a while I felt well enough to arise and
partake of some luncheon.
They were all seated around the campfire when I approached. I was
welcomed politely, inquiries concerning my health were offered; but the
coldly malevolent glare of Dr. Fooss and the calm contempt in Lezard's
gaze chilled me; and I squatted down by Daisy Delmour and accepted a dish
of soup from her in mortified silence.
Professor Bottomly and James Skaw were feasting connubially side by side,
and she was selecting titbits for him which he dutifully swallowed, his
large mild eyes gazing at vacancy in a gentle, surprised sort of way as
he gulped down what she offered him.
Neither of them paid any attention to anybody else.
Fooss gobbled his lunch in a sort of raging silence; Lezard, on the other
side of Dr. Delmour, conversed with her continually in undertones.
After a while his persistent murmuring began to make me uneasy, even
suspicious, and I glared at him sideways.
Daisy Delmour, catching my eye, blushed, hesitated, then leaning over
toward me with delightful confusion she whispered:
"I know that you will be glad to hear that I have just promised to marry
your closest friend, Professor Lezard--"
"What!" I shouted with all my might, "have _you_ put one over on me,
too?"
Lezard and Fooss seized me, for I had risen and was jumping up and down
and splashing them with soup.
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