t night. It was an awfully big night all around, wasn't it,
Nolan?"

"It was for me," he said, coming over and taking Eveley's hand in his.

"Last night," Kitty repeated again, glaring intently at Nolan.

He nodded.

"Then you knew I was lying all the time."

"Well, since Eveley and I had luncheon with Winifred and Burton to-day to
announce our engagement,--yes, I may say that I was fairly well assured
you were lying. They seemed on their usual tender terms at noon."

"What are you two talking about?" wondered Eveley.

Kitty drew her small hat over her ears with a vicious tug.

"But we shall be glad to motor to Yosemite with you and Arnold this
summer," Nolan went on pacifically, "we think it will be great sport. We
asked Marie and Jimmy Ames to go along. They are going to be married
to-morrow. They are in Marie's room now, so go in and congratulate them
if you like. But do not bring them out here, because we are a crowd
already."

"I am going home, anyhow, if you mean me," she said pettishly. She looked
at Eveley. "I suppose you think it is very clever for you to be engaged
to Nolan twenty-four hours without notifying me, after all the trouble I
have taken in the last five years to bring it about. And as for you,
Nolan, I think you have a lot of courage to marry a woman who openly and
notoriously refuses to do her duty in any shape, size or form. I call it
a pretty big risk, myself." She clambered crossly through the window.
"Congratulations," she called back snappily. And again, from half-way
down the stairs: "And we shall hold you to the Yosemite bargain, too."

Then Nolan took Eveley in his arms again and kissed her. "It may be
pretty risky," he said tenderly. "A wife who steels her heart against her
duty--"

Eveley smiled into his eyes. "Don't worry. The One Exception will save
you. I still claim that duty isn't the biggest thing in the world. And
hasn't my theory held good? Patriotic duty could not Americanize Angelo
nor Marie, nor anybody else. And filial duty could not make the Severs
live happily with the Father-in-law. And domestic duty could not bring
Miriam and Lem Landis into harmony. But there was something else big
enough to work all the miracles, and it was the Big Exception."

"Yes, tell me, Eveley--the Big Exception that is Everybody's Duty--what
is it?"

"Well," she said, snuggling a little closer into his arms, "I believe it
is everybody's duty to love somebody else with all his heart