The Charm School
if you'll tell them to put places." Emotions crowded upon him. He had always complained of a peculiarly limp handshake which was characteristic of Susie. Now, as he shook hands with her, he felt a distinct pressure. Then he saw that she was looking extraordinarily pretty in her slim, remote way. Then he realized that the dream of these last months—the dream of having Susie in the white cottage—might perfectly have come true, and that he had deliberately chosen to bring her to dine in the comparative publicity of the school instead. He was surprised at himself. He thought that in a few minutes he would see Elise, and that she would see Susie, and would probably guess the whole thing, and that anything might happen. And all the time Mrs. Rolles was being gracious and Susie beautiful—her face relaxing into one of her faint smiles each time she met his eye.
In the mean time Miss Curtis was saying to herself: "Oh yes, this is the happy, lovely being whose picture stands on his desk. I see it all now. Oh, I do hope she is worthy of him."
And Miss Hayes was thinking: "Yes, I remember this old person. She brought the girl here once to enter her, and did not want
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