ich she sometimes
surprised him.

"Your advice is good."

"I believe so," responded Sylvia. "If a thing pleases you, don't try
to find out too much about it. That's the way to disappointment."

She was a little astonished at his reply.

"Perhaps it's a deserved penalty. One should respect a beautiful
mystery--unquestioning faith is a power. It reacts upon its object as
well as upon its possessor."

"Even if it's mistaken?"

"It couldn't be altogether so," Bland objected. "Nothing that was
unworthy could inspire real devotion."

"All this is far too serious," said Sylvia, petulantly; for her
companion's moralizing had awakened a train of unpleasant reflections.

She did not think unquestioning faith was common, but she knew of one
man who was endowed with it, and he was toiling for her sake on the
desolate western prairie. Once or twice his belief in her had roused
angry compunction, and she had revealed the more unfavorable aspects of
her character, but he had refused to see them.

"Then what shall we talk about?" Bland inquired.

"Anything that doesn't tax one's brain severely. Yourself, for
example."

"I'm not sure that's flattering, and it's an indifferent topic; but I
won't back out. As I gave you your choice, I must take the
consequences."

"Are you always ready to do that?" There was a tiny hint of
seriousness in her voice.

"Well," he said with some dryness, "I generally try."

There was something that reminded her of George in his expression. The
man, she thought, would redeem what pledge he gave; he might be guilty
of rashness, but he would not slink away when the reckoning came. Then
she became conscious of a half-tender regret. It was a pity that
George was so fond of the background, and left it only when he was
needed, while Brand was a prominent figure wherever he went, and this
was, perhaps, the one of his characteristics which most impressed her.
Then he rather modestly began the brief account of his career, adding
scraps of information about his relatives, who were people of station.
He did not enlarge upon several points that were in his favor, but he
omitted to state that he had now and then been on the verge of a
financial crisis.

Sylvia listened with keen interest, and asked a few questions to help
him on; but when he finished she let the subject drop. Soon afterward
she glanced down the road, which was growing dim.

"I wish your man would come. It's getting late,