"
"Don't be! I wish I could make you trust me. Can I?"
"Why not?"
"I'm throwing things at you so suddenly. But what else can I _do_? We
haven't much time. My brother'll come back and join us. And--it's
about him I want to speak. He's so--interested in you."
"That's very nice of him." Winifred's voice was as cold and bright as
a very small icicle.
"It ought to be! _But_--well, he's a dear brother and a splendid
fellow in many ways. I hate to say anything against him. Yet I'd hate
still more to have you--disappointed. His one fault is--he's rather
foolish about women, especially those not exactly in his own set. Do
you see what I mean? It's so hard for me! He said to-day he was going
to try to help you. That frightened me a little. I felt I must give
you this tiny warning, for Peter has such a _trustworthy_ air, hasn't
he?"
"Yes, indeed he has," answered Win, loyal still to Mr. Balm of Gilead,
_alias_ Peter Pan. But the night had grown colder.
"I'm his sister. I can't help feeling responsible for him. And, in a
way, I feel responsible for you, too, as it's through him I've met
you--and you'll be a stranger in our country.
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