The Aristocratic Miss Brewster by Joseph C. Lincoln

Mary Brewster had accepted the Hall invitation to drive with him to the Bayport auction, but she had done so with some reluctance. In a way she was eager to go. The old Salters home contained some treasures in the shape of fine old furniture and china and such things were even then beginning to be appreciated, particularly by the summer people. It was not likely that she would be able to pick up anything at a price she could afford, but she might, and at least she would have enjoyed looking them over. If she could have gone alone the afternoon would, she felt, have been thoroughly pleasant.

It was because Peter Hall had insisted that she go with him--there was the trouble. She was beginning to feel a trifle uneasy about Mr. Hall, his repeated calls and invitations. At first she had regarded his interest in her and his dropping in at the Brewster house as merely the desire of a lonely man for companionship. He was her superior at the bank, and no one could have been more patient or kind in overlooking mistakes and helping her with her daily work. He had gone out of his way to be of assistance to her and she was grateful for this and his encouragement. She had refused several invitations from him to attend dances and entertainments, but she had accepted others, just as she finally consented to drive with him to the auction at Bayport, because she did not wish to hurt his feelings by refusing.