AN UNFORTUNATE VALENTINE. 83

her backwardness in accepting his offer arose simply
from her wish not to deprive him of the valentine,
and so proceeded to make matters even worse by
remarks more galling.
 "Do take it, Polly Hopkins, really I don't care one
bit about it. I'd rather not keep the gaudy thing;
indeed, I don't want it," he assured her over and over
again.
 But just at this point in affairs the children's voices
roused Mr. Gilbert from his newspaper. Polly had
taken her father into her confidence about her
purchase; so he at once perceived how matters
stood.
 In one moment he had made a sign to Jack, who
quickly understood him, and immediately tried to
atone for his unfortunate mistake and to soothe the
child's feelings.
 "Polly," he began, after a few seconds spent in
wildly racking his brains as to the best way of pro-
ceeding, did you really think I was in earnest about
giving you this valentine ? Didn't you know I
only offered it to you for a joke ? Why," went on
Jack, taking the object in question up tenderly
and placing it close to his plate, "I would not part
with such a beauty even to you, Polly. I never got
such a splendid valentine in my life, so you see it's
not very likely I would part with it!"