u must think this very odd."

He knew what she meant, but he did not choose to admit it.

"What?" he asked.

"Why, my asking you to walk home with me, after--after our trouble. It
is strange, I suppose, particularly as you had not spoken before this
whole evening."

"_I_--spoken to YOU? Why, you bowed to me when I came into the room and
that was the only sign of recognition you gave me until just now. Not a
dance--not one."

"Did you expect me to look you up and beg you to dance with me?"

"Did you expect me to trot at that fellow's heels and wait my chance to
get a word with you, to take what he left? I should say not! By George,
Helen, I--"

She interrupted him. "Hush, hush!" she pleaded. "This is all so silly,
so childish. And we mustn't quarrel any more. I have made up my mind to
that. We mustn't."

"Humph! All right, _I_ had no thought of quarreling in the beginning.
But there are some things a self-respecting chap can't stand. I have
SOME pride, I hope."

She caught her breath quickly. "Do you think," she asked, "that it was
no sacrifice to my pride to beg you to walk home with me? After--after
the things you said the other evening? Oh, Albert, how could you say
them!"

"Well--" he hesitated, and then added, "I told you I was sorry."

"Yes, but you weren't really sorry. You must have believed the things
that hateful Issachar Price said or you wouldn't have repeated them.
. . . Oh, but never mind that now, I didn't mean to speak of it at all. I
asked you to walk home with me because I wanted to make up our quarrel.
Yes, that was it. I didn't want to go away and feel that you and I were
not as good friends as ever. So, you see, I put all MY pride to one
side--and asked."

One phrase in one sentence of this speech caught and held the young
man's attention. He forgot the others.

"You are going away?" he repeated. "What do you mean? Where are you
going?"

"I am going to Cambridge to study. I am going to take some courses at
Radcliffe. You know I told you I hoped to some day. Well, it has
been arranged. I am to live with my cousin, father's half sister in
Somerville. Father is well enough to leave now and I have engaged a
capable woman, Mrs. Peters, to help Maria with the housework. I am going
Friday morning, the day after to-morrow."

He stopped short to stare at her.

"You are going away?" he asked, again. "You are going to do that
and--and--Why didn't you tell me before?"

It was a characteri