. I really could not." She stopped suddenly "I must
have my valentines, though. They were my mother's. They will go with me
wherever--That reminds me of the second thing you said I didn't like.
You should not have said--'Wherever you go,' but 'Wherever we go'!"

She smiled at him bravely.

"Well, we will go to lunch now," said John, smiling, too, and making the
most of the pronoun. "It is early, but we can sit and talk it all
over."

"Where?" she asked, almost gayly. Her heart was bruised, but she meant
to forget all that, and the thought of a lunch with John was a very good
place to begin.

John took his bearings as to restaurants.

"If you could walk a short distance, there is Mildmay's," he suggested.

"I can walk miles," she answered; but she thought ruefully of her thin
soles.

A white table between them, a waitress with rolls, and something hot in
prospect; John thought the time had come.

"But, seriously, my darling, what shall we do? What is the best for you?
Shall I take you to the Nevilles'?"

Phyllis looked blank.

"To be sent home in their car, bound hand and foot, and lectured
besides!" she remonstrated.

"Well, Mrs. Thorpe could certainly put you up for the night. Odd I didn't
think of her first."

"John, dear," began Phyllis, and then blushed, for the word had popped
out of itself. However, after a moment she went on courageously--"Did
you hear me say 'we,' a little while ago? We are going together wherever
we go." She hesitated. "Don't you want me, John?" A swift look at his
face, and hers glowed.

"My dearest, dearest girl." John's voice expressed his earnest
sincerity. "I won't pretend to misunderstand your meaning, and I do so
long to believe it possible that my head swims. But--"

"I perfectly hate 'buts,'" she interrupted She put her elbows on the
table, and flashed a smile at him, through her arched fingers.

"But, dearest, you must consider this seriously I want you to think for
a moment. Need I tell you I love you more than life! Only yesterday I
scarcely dared hope that you might be willing to wait years for me
to--to earn enough with my pen to ask you to share my lot. To-day--the
doors of Paradise are opened wide. Ah! my dear, my dear, I am eager to
enter, but I fear for you. I should be taking advantage of your
helplessness----"

"Listen, John," said Phyllis. "I am not the least bit helpless. There
are dozens of houses to which I can go and dozens of friends who would
be