has Francesca said now? I'll tan her hide when I get my hands on her!'
'Not Francesca,' said Toni, shaking her head. 'I can handle Francesca. Are you aware that your Uncle Raoul is here?'
Paul started. 'Raoul!' he echoed.
'Yes, the Conde.' Toni linked her fingers. 'Oh, give me a cigarette. Believe me, I need one. And you - you are the biggest liar I know!'
Paul looked uncomfortable. 'What do you mean?'
'You know damn nicely what I mean,' exclaimed Toni, leaning forward to light her cigarette from the lighter he proffered. 'Before dinner last evening I learned the reason why you were in such a hurry to arrive here with a fiancee.'
'What!'
'Yes; now say it isn't money! That is the reason, isn't it? Oh, don't bother to deny it. I can tell from your face that I'm right. Honestly, what do you think lam?'
Paul looked a little shamefaced. 'I don't see why you're getting so het up about it,' he muttered sulkily. 'It doesn't make any difference to you. You're still having a free holiday, and my reasons are my own and no one else's.'
Toni's eyes blazed. 'You're a positive menace, Paul,' she stormed angrily. 'You've succeeded in getting me into the most awful situation of my life!'
Paul frowned. 'Why? What did my grandmother say?'
'Oh, not your grandmother,' cried Toni, shaking her head. 'Your uncle! He seems to consider me some kind of gold-digger who has come here with you to try and inveigle some money out of his mother! When he spoke to me in here earlier on - well, I felt so big!' She put her first finger and thumb close together. 'Not that I consider his opinion of me so important, but I do not intend to put up with that kind of treatment any longer. I'm leaving! You can please yourself whether you ; follow my example!'
'Toni!'
'Well!' Toni walked about restlessly, smoking nervously. 'You must be out of your tiny mind if you think your grandmother is going to help you financially with big brother looking on!'
Paul stubbed out his own cigarette. 'My grandmother has money of her own,' he said stiffly. 'What she does with it is her own concern. Besides, you don't know the whole story. My mother has never had a penny from this family. They've never lifted a finger to help her! Why should I care if my motives for coming here are misconstrued? In a way, I'm paying them back for the way they treated my mother.'
'And how long do you imagine you're going to be allowed to get away with it, with Uncle Raoul watching your every move like a hawk?'
'My grandmother doesn't require his permission for the things she does,' retorted Paul exasperatedly. 'Besides, she's still an old woman, who does want to see me married. Even you must have gathered the truth of that.'
'Yes, but that's the point, Paul. This is all pretence! We aren't going to get married!'
Paul studied her thoughtfully. 'We may just do that thing,' he said slowly.
Toni's eyes narrowed. 'Oh, no, Paul. Not me!'
'Why? Am I so repugnant?'
'No. It's not that.' She cast about in her mind for some way to let him down lightly. How could she tell him that he already had assumed a rather weak and indolent stature in her eyes? How also could she explain to herself the instant picture of a tall dark Portuguese who sprang unwanted into her mind at the thought of marriage to another man? 'It's just that we aren't at all alike, and I guess we just don't strike the right sparks off one another.'Paul moved closer. 'You're beginning to strike the right sparks off me,' he murmured softly. 'Did anyone ever tell you you have the most gorgeous eyes? And your legs....'
'Paul, stop it!' Toni moved jerkily away. 'Don't imagine you can change my mind like that!'
'Why not? All women like flattery.'
'Not all women.'
'Besides, it's not flattery. I mean it. Toni—' '
'Stop it, Paul,' she interrupted him. 'What are you going to do?'
'Do? Stay here, of course. How about you?'
Toni stared at him. 'I'm leaving, I've told you.'
'Are you? And have you thought how my dear Uncle Raoul
'Not Francesca,' said Toni, shaking her head. 'I can handle Francesca. Are you aware that your Uncle Raoul is here?'
Paul started. 'Raoul!' he echoed.
'Yes, the Conde.' Toni linked her fingers. 'Oh, give me a cigarette. Believe me, I need one. And you - you are the biggest liar I know!'
Paul looked uncomfortable. 'What do you mean?'
'You know damn nicely what I mean,' exclaimed Toni, leaning forward to light her cigarette from the lighter he proffered. 'Before dinner last evening I learned the reason why you were in such a hurry to arrive here with a fiancee.'
'What!'
'Yes; now say it isn't money! That is the reason, isn't it? Oh, don't bother to deny it. I can tell from your face that I'm right. Honestly, what do you think lam?'
Paul looked a little shamefaced. 'I don't see why you're getting so het up about it,' he muttered sulkily. 'It doesn't make any difference to you. You're still having a free holiday, and my reasons are my own and no one else's.'
Toni's eyes blazed. 'You're a positive menace, Paul,' she stormed angrily. 'You've succeeded in getting me into the most awful situation of my life!'
Paul frowned. 'Why? What did my grandmother say?'
'Oh, not your grandmother,' cried Toni, shaking her head. 'Your uncle! He seems to consider me some kind of gold-digger who has come here with you to try and inveigle some money out of his mother! When he spoke to me in here earlier on - well, I felt so big!' She put her first finger and thumb close together. 'Not that I consider his opinion of me so important, but I do not intend to put up with that kind of treatment any longer. I'm leaving! You can please yourself whether you ; follow my example!'
'Toni!'
'Well!' Toni walked about restlessly, smoking nervously. 'You must be out of your tiny mind if you think your grandmother is going to help you financially with big brother looking on!'
Paul stubbed out his own cigarette. 'My grandmother has money of her own,' he said stiffly. 'What she does with it is her own concern. Besides, you don't know the whole story. My mother has never had a penny from this family. They've never lifted a finger to help her! Why should I care if my motives for coming here are misconstrued? In a way, I'm paying them back for the way they treated my mother.'
'And how long do you imagine you're going to be allowed to get away with it, with Uncle Raoul watching your every move like a hawk?'
'My grandmother doesn't require his permission for the things she does,' retorted Paul exasperatedly. 'Besides, she's still an old woman, who does want to see me married. Even you must have gathered the truth of that.'
'Yes, but that's the point, Paul. This is all pretence! We aren't going to get married!'
Paul studied her thoughtfully. 'We may just do that thing,' he said slowly.
Toni's eyes narrowed. 'Oh, no, Paul. Not me!'
'Why? Am I so repugnant?'
'No. It's not that.' She cast about in her mind for some way to let him down lightly. How could she tell him that he already had assumed a rather weak and indolent stature in her eyes? How also could she explain to herself the instant picture of a tall dark Portuguese who sprang unwanted into her mind at the thought of marriage to another man? 'It's just that we aren't at all alike, and I guess we just don't strike the right sparks off one another.'Paul moved closer. 'You're beginning to strike the right sparks off me,' he murmured softly. 'Did anyone ever tell you you have the most gorgeous eyes? And your legs....'
'Paul, stop it!' Toni moved jerkily away. 'Don't imagine you can change my mind like that!'
'Why not? All women like flattery.'
'Not all women.'
'Besides, it's not flattery. I mean it. Toni—' '
'Stop it, Paul,' she interrupted him. 'What are you going to do?'
'Do? Stay here, of course. How about you?'
Toni stared at him. 'I'm leaving, I've told you.'
'Are you? And have you thought how my dear Uncle Raoul
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