“Like it?” She shook her head breathlessly. “No, but I like the way it makes me feel. I think most people are that way.” Jim agreed. “My daddy liked it too well. It got him.” “American men,” said Nancy gravely, “don’t know how to drink.” “What?” Jim was startled. “In fact,” she went on carelessly, “they don’t know how to do anything very well. The one thing I regret in my life is that I wasn’t born in England.” “In England?” “Yes. It’s the one regret of my life that I wasn’t.” “Do you like it over there?” “Yes. Immensely. I’ve never been there in person, but I’ve met a lot of Englishmen who were over here in the army, Oxford and Cambridge men--you know, that’s like Sewanee and University of Georgia are here--and of course I’ve read a lot of English novels.” Jim was interested, amazed. “D’ you ever hear of Lady Diana Manner?” she asked earnestly. No, Jim had not. “Well, she’s what I’d like to be. Dark, you know, like me, and wild as sin. She’s the girl who rode her horse up the steps of some cathedral or church or something and all the novelists made their heroines do it afterwards.” Jim nodded politely. He was out of his depths. “Pass the bottle,” suggested Nancy. “I’m going to take another little one. A little drink wouldn’t hurt a baby. “You see,” she continued, again breathless after a draught. “People over there have style. Nobody has style here. I mean the boys here aren’t really worth dressing up for or doing sensational things for. Don’t you know?” “I suppose so--I mean I suppose not,” murmured Jim. “And I’d like to do ’em an’ all. I’m really the only girl in town that has style.” She stretched out her arms and yawned pleasantly. “Pretty evening.” “Sure is,” agreed Jim. “Like to have boat,” she suggested dreamily. “Like to sail out on a silver lake, say the Thames, for instance. Have champagne and caviare sandwiches along. Have about eight people. And one of the men would jump overboard to amuse the party, and get drowned like a man did with Lady Diana Manners once.” “Did he do it to please her?” “Didn’t mean drown himself to please her. He just meant to jump overboard and make everybody laugh.” “I reckin they just died laughin’ when he drowned.” “Oh, I suppose they laughed a little,” she admitted. “I imagine she did, anyway. She’s pretty hard, I guess--like I am.” “You hard?” “Like nails.” She yawned again and added, “Give me a little more from that bottle.” Jim hesitated but she held out her hand defiantly, “Don’t treat me like a girl,” she warned him. “I’m not like any girl _you_ ever saw.” She considered. “Still, perhaps you’re right. You got--you got old head on young shoulders.” She jumped to her feet and moved toward the door. The Jelly-bean rose also. “Good-bye,” she said politely, “good-bye. Thanks, Jelly-bean.” Then she stepped inside and left him wide-eyed upon the porch. III