l the ladies
of the regiment, and given them news of their lords, and had not yet
exchanged one word with the lady of his love. For a moment he stood
there, looking around at the familiar and dainty objects in the room
which he had pictured in his mind's eye a million times in that brief
month; at the piano,--closed and unused of late; at the pictures and
statuettes, and the quaint little odds and ends in the way of
"what-nots," book-stands, tables, and chairs; at the broad and inviting
lounge with its beautiful covering and soft pillows, and the bear-skin
rugs at the foot; at the rich silk and bamboo screen of Japanese
handiwork that kept the chilling draught from the piano or work-table
when the ladies were there, and was big enough to form a complete
enclosure about them,--their "corral" he had termed it,--and, _was_ that
her footstep on the floor above? No! Too heavy and slow. The maid had
just gone up with the mail; besides, her room--_Her_ room was now on the
ground-floor, off the dining-room. Why _didn't_ she come? She must know
how hard all this assumed indifference was to bear. She must know how
eager he was to look once more into her sweet blue eyes and read their
shy welcome; she must know how his arms longed to enfold her. His eyes
were growing more accustomed to the curtained light, and he could see
his own reflection in the mirror between the windows, and noted with
natural satisfaction how bronzed and "serviceable" he was looking again,
and then he thought it would be a good plan to draw that screen across
the end of the piano and hide behind it, and watch _her_ as she came in,
before rushing forth to--well, wait a moment! _Would_ she be quite
prepared for so rapturous a greeting as he longed to give her? Eyes and
lips and arms and breast were yearning for her, but, would she not be
abashed at such a demonstration? It would serve her right for keeping
him waiting, and he took hold of the screen to draw it towards him, and
the screen unaccountably resisted. He dropped on his knee to loosen the
foot from a supposed catch in the heavy rug, and gave a stronger pull
and away it came,--and there like Lady Teazle, only all sweet smiles and
welcome and blushes and shy delight, a lovely, winsome picture of loving
womanhood, crouched bonny Maid Marion.

"Maidie! Oh, you darling! you delight!" And his arms were about her in
an instant. He sprang to his feet, and, despite attempted resistance and
retreat, she was cla