“See how pretty I am?”
“You’re not bad-looking.”
“Bad-looking? I’m extremely near to being a beauty. Look at the father I have—distinguished, delightful!”
“Oh, my dear!”
“Look at the husband the gods gave me!”
“Yes, your long-distance husband.”
“Look at Ardelia! Who ever heard of such a cook? Consider my brains.”
“There, I grant you.”
“Besides that, I am the sole possessor of a secret which is too perfectly delicious to be true.”
“Do you intend to tell this secret to me?”
“Yes, as soon as it is ripe.”
She caught his hands and whirled him about.
“Oh, Professor, Professor, you ought to be very glad that you are related to me!”
“Bambina, one moment. I dislike being jerked around like a live jumping-jack.”
“It’s evident I didn’t get my dancing talents from you, old centipede. Sit down, and I’ll dance a joy dance.”
She pushed him on the couch, and began a wild, fantastic dance on the hearth rug before him, the
