ave herself
fully back to him again. "I don't know a bit. You'll have to ask mother.
P'raps--she may not allow it at all."

"Ho! Won't she?" said Sir Eustace. "I think I know better. What about
that trip on the yacht in July? Can you be ready in time for that?"

"Oh, I expect I could be ready sooner than that," said Dinah naively.

"You could?" He smiled upon her. "Well, next week then! What do you say
to next week?"

But she shrank again at that. "Oh no! Not possibly! Not possibly!
You--you're laughing!" She looked at him accusingly.

He caught her to him. "You baby! You innocent! Yes, I'm going to kiss
you. Where will you have it? Just anywhere?"

He held her and kissed her, still laughing, yet with a heat that made her
flinch involuntarily; kissed the pointed chin and quivering lips, the
swift-shut eyes and soft cheeks, the little, trembling dimple that came
and went.

"Yes, you are mine--all mine," he said. "Remember, I have a right to you
now that no one else has. Not all the mammas in the world could come
between us now."

She laughed, half-exultantly, half-dubiously, peeping at him through her
lowered lashes. "I wonder if you'll still say that when--when you've
seen--my mother," she murmured.

He kissed her again, kissed anew the dimples that showed and vanished so
alluringly. "You will see presently, my Daphne," he said. "But I'm going
to have you, you know. That's quite understood, isn't it?"

"Yes," whispered Dinah, with docility.

"No more running away," he insisted. "That's past and done with."

She gave him a fleeting smile. "I couldn't if--if I wanted to."

"I'm glad you realize that," he said.

She clung to him suddenly with a little movement that was almost
convulsive. "Oh, are you sure--quite sure--that you wouldn't rather marry
Rose de Vigne?"

He uttered his careless laugh. "My dear child, there are plenty of
Roses in the world. There is only one--Daphne--Daphne, the fleet of
foot--Daphne, the enchantress!"

She clung to him a little faster. "And there is only one Apollo," she
murmured. "Apollo the magnificent!"

"We seem to be quite a unique couple," laughed Eustace, with his lips
upon her hair.

CHAPTER XXX

THE SECOND SUMMONS

When they went down the hill again to the hotel, Dinah felt as if she
were treading on air. The whole world had magically changed for her.
Fears still lurked in the background, such fears as she did not dare to
turn and contemplate; but she