He but dimly understood her. "I'll try!" he said between a laugh and a groan. "You funny darling child! ... But how can I keep from kissing you?"
"I don't want you always to keep from it," Pen said.
On Tuesday morning Pen, dressed for town, was breakfasting with her father in the high-ceilinged, shabby dining-room.
The elder Pendleton pushed his plate from him and with an ostentatiously careless air, took a packet of crisp bills from his breast pocket and commenced to count them. It was hard to get any change out of Pen, but this time she laid down her fork and frankly stared.
Pendleton exulted in the effect he was creating. He had rehearsed an answer to the inevitable question. "I didn't steal it, my dear."
Pen refused to be diverted. "Where did you get it?"
"Oh, how could you?" she cried involuntarily.
"And why not, I should like to know?" he demanded, up in arms immediately. Clearly his conscience was bad, though he appeared to have reason on his side.
"I consider it an excellent stroke of business every way," Pendleton went on, puffing a little. "It secures his interest in the railway."
Pendleton gave the bills a flirt. "Well, I didn't sell myself too cheap," he said with maddening complacency.
Pendleton began to count off some of the bills. "I want you to take some of this," he said.
"Not a cent!" said Pen indignantly. Reflecting that she was betraying too much heat she added: "I have plenty of clothes for down here."
"Your summer dresses that you make yourself are very pretty, very pretty," said Pendleton mollifyingly. "But I'm sure you must be in want of the expensive little appurtenances of a lady's wardrobe; shoes, silk stocking, hats, parasols."
"What would I be doing with a parasol at Broome's Point?" demanded Pen with a snort of scorn.
"A smart yachting suit would be nice," he said suggestively.
But Pen looked at him so dangerously he made haste to add: "But of course you know best. You know best!"
"I refuse to dress myself at Mr. Riever's expense. The idea is revolting."
"You will have to have money in town to-day."
"I have a little. Enough to buy a pair of white shoes, and materials to retrim my last summer's hat. That will have to do."
"I don't see why you have to go against your obvious interests," he complained.