st of him rose to the occasion.

"I told Thursby that--I hadn't anything to take back, but that--you're
a man, for all of it And if you--Damn it! There's my hand."

"Done!" said Haig heartily.

"Oh!" cried Claire, breaking away from the mantel, to which she clung
through all the interview, trembling between hope and fear. She
stepped up to Haig, her eyes shining through tears.

"Mine too!" she said, offering her hand to him.

But when it was all finished there was another awkward interval of
silence. For years of controversy and enmity are not so quickly
resolved into perfect peace. It was Haig who brought back a certain
ease to them.

"Would you mind, Mrs. Huntington, if I asked Miss Gaylord to go for a
drive with me?"

"Indeed, no!"

"And if she took dinner with me? I'll bring her back early."

"If Marion thinks--"

But Marion, who had stood silent and anxious until then, did not reply
to Claire's glance of inquiry. She heard the last words as if in a
dream. But dreams were coming true these days; miracle followed
miracle. With a stifled cry she ran past them, and into her room.
There she sank down on the edge of the bed, and crossed her hands over
her breast, and stared at vacancy, her face burning, a mist before her
eyes. Weakness overcame her for a moment. Then she leaped to her feet,
dressed quickly for the drive, and went out befurred and radiant to
put her arms around Claire and kiss her.

"You'll be welcome, Haig, if you want to--to come in any time,"
Huntington was saying awkwardly.

"I will!" replied Haig.

Then Philip and Marion were gone, and Seth and Claire stood staring at
the door.

"Oh, I'm so happy, Seth!" cried Claire at last, holding up her arms to
him.

"Umph!" said Huntington, submitting to her ecstatic endearments.

* * * * *

The Park glittered in its robe of white; the sun shone with cold
brilliancy out of a steel-blue sky; the air was still and sparkling,
stinging their cheeks into a glow as they sped down the valley. Under
the runners of the sleigh the dry snow sang and crackled, and flew up
in a fine shower like dust of diamonds beneath the swift feet of the
sorrels.

Haig gave Marion no chance to say a word while the sleigh went
swinging and bounding down the road, and the fields slipped past them
in a dazzling succession. When he was not leaning forward to urge the
sorrels to greater speed he was talking rapidly. He told her