s. "Is anything wrong? Your voice is trembling. I can hear it
quite plainly. What has happened? Has Norah written--"

"Norah? No. There was nothing in her letter to upset me. It is only the
strangeness of this place. I shall be all right in a day or so."

"The new home--it is satisfactory? You have found what you wanted? Your
room is comfortable?"

"It's--it's a large room," I faltered. "And there's a--a large view of
the lake, too."

There was a smothered sound at the other end of the wire. Then--"I
want you to meet me down-town at seven o'clock. We will have dinner
together," Von Gerhard said, "I cannot have you moping up there all
alone all evening."

"I can't come."

"Why?"

"Because I want to so very much. And anyway, I'm much more cheerful now.
I am going in to dinner. And after dinner I shall get acquainted with
my room. There are six corners and all the space under the bed that I
haven't explored yet."

"Dawn!"

"Yes?"

"If you were free to-night, would you marry me? If you knew that the
next month would find you mistress of yourself would you--"

"Ernst!"

"Yes?"

"If the gates of Heaven were opened wide to you, and they had 'Welcome!'
done in diamonds over the door, and all the loveliest angel ladies
grouped about the doorway to receive you, and just beyond you could
see awaiting you all that was beautiful, and most exquisite, and most
desirable, would you enter?"

And then I hung up the receiver and went in to dinner. I went in to
dinner, but not to dine. Oh, shades of those who have suffered in
boarding-houses--that dining room! It must have been patterned after
the dining room at Dotheboys' hall. It was bare, and cheerless, and
fearfully undressed looking. The diners were seated at two long,
unsociable, boarding-housey tables that ran the length of the room, and
all the women folks came down to dine with white wool shawls wrapped
snugly about their susceptible black silk shoulders. The general effect
was that of an Old People's Home. I found seat after seat at table was
filled, and myself the youngest thing present. I felt so criminally
young that I wondered they did not strap me in a high chair and ram
bread and milk down my throat. Now and then the door would open to
admit another snuffly, ancient, and be-shawled member of the company. I
learned that Mrs. Schwartz, on my right, did not care mooch for shteak
for breakfast, aber a leedle l'mb ch'p she likes. Also that the elderly
party