. He was trying to see
ahead into the future and wondering ... wondering....

Presently he turned again to the girl beside him.

"Of course," he said abruptly, "I should be a fool to ask you if you've
got any ... any personal regard for me! How could you have when we've
only met twice."

He waited hopefully it seemed, but Faith did not know how to answer him,
and he went on rather ruefully:

"But, all the same, you're willing to marry me without telling your
mother till afterwards?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that rather foolish?"

She flushed sensitively.

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean, that for all you know, I might be the biggest blackguard
unhung. I might be wanted by the police--I might be all of a hundred and
one unsavoury things. Do you realize that?"

Faith laughed now. She was not in the least afraid that he could be any
of these things.

"I think you're the kindest man I've ever met," she said.

"Do you?" He laughed dryly. "But, then, you haven't met many men, I take
it."

"No."

Another little silence.

"Have you got a mother?" Faith asked shyly.

He turned his head.

"I haven't a relative in the whole world as far as I know. I was born in
Australia, and my mother died there, and my father broke his neck when I
was fifteen."

"Broke his neck?" echoed Faith, horrified.

"Yes. We had a farm in Australia, twenty-eight miles from a town, and,
when he was riding back home one night, the pony caught its foot and
threw him." He paused. "I found him lying along the track next morning,"
he added grimly.

Faith drew a long breath.

"And you were only fifteen! How awful!"

"Yes, it was pretty bad. I know I sat there beside him in the scorching
sun and cried for half the day, till someone came along and took me
home."

"And--then?" she asked.

"Oh, I've roughed it in thousands of ways since then, and I'm tired of
roughing it. That's why I want to get married." His eyes softened as
they looked at her. "I think you and I will get on well together," he
said.

"Yes," Faith assented. "I think so, too."

"And I'm to fix it up without your mother knowing, is that it?"

"Yes--if you--if you don't mind."

He laughed. "Bless your heart, it's not for me to mind! I'll get a
special licence, and we can be married to-morrow."

She caught her breath.

"To-morrow! Oh, it's too soon!"

"Too soon! What is there to wait for?"

"I shall have to tell them at Heeler's, and there's Peg...."

"That