ure beside her knee.

"Now, don't be silly," she said with earnest anxiety. "I won't have it.
It's putting false ideas in your head, because I'm really only playing,
you know."

"The shadow of love," he suggested.

"Quite so."

"And if--" He leaned quite near.

"Not by any means," she exclaimed, springing quickly to her feet.
"Come--come! It's quite time that we were going back to the house."

"Why must we?" he remonstrated.

"You know why," she said. "It's time we were being sensible. When a man
gets as near as you are, I prefer to be _en promenade_. And don't let us
be foolish any longer, either. Let us be cool and worldly. How much money
has your aunt, anyhow?"

Jack had risen, too.

"What impertinence!" he ejaculated.

"Not at all," she said. "Maude has so much money of her own that I ask in
a wholly disinterested spirit."

"She's very rich," said Jack. "But if your spirit is so disinterested,
what do you want to know for?"

"This is a world of chance, and the main chance in a woman's case is
alimony; so it's always nice to know how to figure it."

"It's a slim chance for your cousin," said Jack. "Do tell her that I said
so."

"No, I shan't," said she perversely. "I won't be a go-between for you and
her. Besides, as to that alimony, there are more heiresses than Maude in
our family."

"Yes," said he; "I know that. But I know, too, that there is one among
them who need never figure on getting any alimony out of me. If I ever get
the iron grasp of the law on that heiress, I can assure you that only her
death or mine will ever loosen its fangs."

"How fierce you are!" said Mrs. Rosscott. "Why do you get so worked up?"

"Oh," he exclaimed, with something approaching a groan, "I don't mean to
be--but I do care so much! And sometimes--" he caught her quickly in his
arms, drew her within their strong embrace, and kissed her passionately
upon the lips that had been tantalizing him for five interminable months.

He was almost frightened the next second by her stillness.

"Don't be angry," he pleaded.

"I'm not," she murmured, resting very quietly with her cheek against his
heart. "But you'll have to marry me now. My other husband did, you know."

"Marry you!" he exclaimed. "Next week? To-morrow? This afternoon? You need
only say when--"

"Oh, not for years and years," she said, interrupting him. "You mustn't
dream of such a thing for years and years!"

"For years and years!" he cried in astonish