et. He put
his arm around her, to keep her from falling and pressed her closely to
him. She threw her head back upon his shoulder and lifted her face to
him. He looked down on her, and the frown passed from his brow as he
surveyed her flushed cheeks, her red full lips parted in breathless
eagerness; her dark eyes were wide open, the iris flecked with golden
sparks and the white as clear and blue-tinged as in the eyes of a
vigorous infant; her head lay on his shoulder in perfect content, and
she put up her mouth to him as simply and as sure of a response as a
pretty child. He was entirely aware of the ridiculousness of his
position, but he stooped and kissed her.

Her work seemed all done; but her satisfaction lasted only a second.
Her face broke into happy smiles.

"You do love me, do you not?" she asked.

"I certainly do not," he answered; and at that instant the door opened
and Mrs. Belding saw this pretty group of apparent lovers on a rich
background of Jacqueminot roses.

Startled more at the words of Farnham than at the entry of Mrs.
Belding, Maud had started up, like Vivien, "stiff as a viper frozen."
Her first thought was whether she had crushed her hat on his shoulder,
and her hands flew instinctively to her head-gear. She then walked
tempestuously past the astonished lady out into the garden and brushed
roughly by Sleeny, who tried to detain her.

"Hold your tongue, Sam! I hate you and all men"; and with this general
denunciation, she passed out of the place, flaming with rage and shame.

Mrs. Belding stood for a moment speechless, and then resorted to the
use of that hard-worked and useful monosyllable,

"Well!" with a sharp, falling inflection.

"Well!" returned Farnham, with an easy, rising accent; and then both of
them relieved the strained situation with a laugh.

"Come, now," said the good-natured woman, "I am a sort of guardian of
yours. Give an account of yourself."

"That is easily given," said Farnham. "A young woman, whose name I
hardly know, came to me in the garden this morning to ask for help to
get some lady-like work to do. After discussing that subject
threadbare, she came in here for a rose, and, apropos of nothing, made
me a declaration and a proposal of honorable wedlock, _dans toutes les
formes_."

"The forms were evident as I entered," said Mrs. Belding, dryly.

"I could not let her drop on the damp floor," said Farnham, who was
astonished to find himself positively blushing