--not any better than that girl up there under the tree
talking to that young man. Why, he's from town."

"He is Mr. Warren, my partner," said Lyman.

"Oh, is he? They say he is such a funny man. But he's nice looking. I
have seen him many a time, and he was pointed out to me once, but I
had forgotten his name."

"We'd better go now," said Mrs. McElwin.

"Oh, not yet," the daughter replied. "There's plenty of time. It won't
take us long to drive home. And besides, we haven't congratulated the
preacher yet. And there he comes now, down this way. See that girl
draw back as if she were going to throw something at Mr. Warren. He
must be a tease. Look at that old man laughing. Everybody wants to
shake hands with the preacher. I think he did splendidly. He
surprised me, I'm sure."

"He surprised us both on one occasion," said Lyman. Eva laughed, but
her mother looked grave. "Let us not speak of that," she said. "It has
caused us trouble enough; and not even now do I fully understand it.
Oh, I know that the legislature made some sort of blunder and that
Henry Bostic had been ordained, but I cannot realize that I am sitting
here talking to my daughter's legal husband. Still we can get
accustomed to anything in time, I suppose."

"I can hardly realize that I am a married man," Lyman replied. Mrs.
McElwin looked at him with a start, as if his words hurt her, as if
she suddenly felt that she was doing a grave injustice to her husband
to sit there talking to a man who would not have been permitted to
cross her threshold. She got up. "We must go," she said.

"Oh, not now," the daughter pleaded.

"Yes, we must go."

"But can't you let me stay and come home with Mr. Lyman."

If the mother had been startled before she was shocked now. "If you
talk like that, my daughter, I shall not believe that you are very
much different from the girls up there. Do you want your father
scandalized? Pardon me, Mr. Lyman, but I must speak plainly to her."

Lyman, who had also arisen, bowed to her. "No offense," he said. "I am
thoroughly in harmony with the absurdity of my position, even if I
can't realize that I am married."

Mrs. McElwin winced. "Please don't repeat that again," she said.

The girl stamped her foot upon the rock. "Don't talk that way," she
commanded. "If Mr. Lyman wants me to stay and go home when he does no
one could prevent it. He can command me to stay."

Mrs. McElwin fluttered, but afraid of a scene, she smoothed