good
time by ourselves? Come on, Kate, let's do it! We can go stay with
Aunt Ollie, and if he comes trying to force himself on you, he'll get
what he deserves. He'll learn that there is something on earth he
can't buy with his money."

"But I don't love you," said Kate.

"Neither did you love him," retorted George Holt. "I can prove it by
what you say. Neither did you love him, but you were going to marry
him, and use all his wonderful power of position and wealth, and trust
to association to BRING love. You can try that with me. As for wealth,
who cares? We are young and strong, and we have a fine chance in the
world. You go on and teach this year, and I'll get such a start that
by next year you can be riding around in your carriage, proud as
Pompey."

"Of course we could make it all right, as to a living," said Kate. "Big
and strong as we are, but--"

Then the torrent broke. At the first hint that she would consider his
proposal George Holt drew her to him and talked volumes of impassioned
love to her. He gave her no chance to say anything; he said all there
was to say himself; he urged that Jardine would come, and she should
not be there. He begged, he pleaded, he reasoned. Night found Kate
sitting on the back porch at Aunt Ollie's with a confused memory of
having stood beside the little stream with her hand in George Holt's
while she assented to the questions of a Justice of the Peace, in the
presence of the School Director and Mrs. Holt. She knew that
immediately thereafter they had walked away along a hot, dusty country
road; she had tried to eat something that tasted like salted ashes.
She could hear George's ringing laugh of exultation breaking out afresh
every few minutes; in sudden irritation at the latest guffaw she
clearly remembered one thing: in her dazed and bewildered state she
had forgotten to tell him that she was a Prodigal Daughter.

CHAPTER XIII

THE BRIDE

ONLY one memory in the ten days that followed before her school began
ever stood out clearly and distinctly with Kate. That was the morning
of the day after she married George Holt. She saw Nancy Ellen and
Robert at the gate so she went out to speak with them. Nancy Ellen was
driving, she held the lines and the whip in her hands. Kate in dull
apathy wondered why they seemed so deeply agitated. Both of them
stared at her as if she might be a maniac.

"Is this thing in the morning paper true?" cried Nancy Ellen in