Bandit Love

His demeanour as her fellow guest at Tony Standish's shooting lodge at

Auchinleven, where he arrived about the middle of August, piqued and

perplexed Myra. Not only did Don Carlos keep his promise to refrain

from making love to her, but he seemed to avoid her as much as

possible, and was only formally polite when they happened to be thrown

together.

Yet he made love to practically all the other ladies of the party, and

obviously set the hearts of several of the younger ones fluttering.

Myra tried to persuade herself she was thankful to be relieved of his

ardent attentions, but at heart she was annoyed to find herself ignored.

"I suppose he is proving that he was only amusing himself and that his

fervent love-making was mere pretence," reflected Myra. "He is making

my complaint about him seem absurd. Bother the man! I have half a

mind to try to make him fall in love with me in earnest, and then take

the conceit out of him by telling him I have only been amusing myself

at his expense."

What added to her inward vexation was the fact that Don Carlos appeared

to have won the good opinion of all the other men of the party, and had

completely ingratiated himself with Tony Standish, who constantly

talked about him with enthusiasm and spent much time in his company.

"Have you offended Don Carlos in some way, Myra?" Lady Fermanagh

inquired one night. "I notice he seems to avoid you as much as

possible, and yet he and Tony have become great friends."

"I think Don Carlos is the most exasperating man in the world, aunt,

and it is most annoying that Tony should make such a fuss of him after

what happened," responded Myra, half-petulantly. "It would serve Tony

right if I threw him over. It is exasperating that he is so sure of me

that he isn't a bit jealous of Don Carlos, and probably thinks I made a

fuss about nothing. Why didn't he half-kill the conceited Spaniard for

daring to make love to me? I should have loved him if he had done

that--yes, even if he got the worst of it, I should have loved him for

trying to give Don Carlos a hiding."

"Don't be absurd, my dear Myra!" protested Lady Fermanagh, laughingly.

"I told you that the love-making of men like Don Carlos should not be

taken seriously, and it was foolish of you to take offence."

"And now, I suppose, he is laughing up his sleeve at me for having

taken him seriously, and thinks he is punishing me by ignoring me for

being such a little prude!" said Myra. "Perhaps I did make rather a

fool of myself, but I intend to get even with him. Yes, I'll get even

with the conceited creature! Do you know what I have decided to do,

aunt? I am going to make love to Don Carlos and make him fall in love

with me in earnest, just to have the satisfaction of turning him down

afterwards and making him feel, and look, a fool."