ne sands. Are you ready, O my
tempter?"

Like a pair of guilty ghosts they crossed the shadowy garden, skirted
the dark orange groves, and instead of entering the broad palm-lined way
that led straight east for two miles to the sea, they turned into the
sinuous hammock path which, curving south, cut off nearly a mile and a
half.

"It's rather dark," she said.

They walked for a few minutes in silence; and, at first, she could not
understand why he insisted on leading, because the path was wide enough
for both.

"I _will_ not proceed in this absurd manner," she said at last--"like an
Indian and his faithful squaw. Why on earth do you--"

And it flashed across her at the same instant.

"Is _that_ why?"--imperiously abrupt.

"What?" he asked, halting.

She passed her arm through his, not gently, but her laughing voice was
very friendly:

"If we jump a snake in the dark, my friend, we jump him _together_! It's
like you, but your friend Shiela won't permit it."

"Oh, it's only a conventional precaution--"

"Yes? Well, we'll take chances together.... Suppose--by the wildest and
weirdest stretch of a highly coloured imagination you jumped a rattler?"

"Nonsense--"

"_Suppose_ you did?"

He said, sobered: "It would be horribly awkward for you to explain. I
forgot about--"

[Illustration: "She walked a few paces toward the house, halted, and
looked back audaciously."]

"Do you think I meant _that_! Do you think I'd care what people might
say about our being here together? I--I'd _want_ them to know it!
What would I care--about--anything--then!"

Through the scorn in her voice he detected the awakened emotion; and,
responsive, his pulse quickened, beating hard and heavy in throat and
breast.

"I had almost forgotten," he said, "that we might dare look at things
that way.... It all has been so--hopeless--lately--"

"What?... Yes, I understand."

"Do you?--my trying to let you alone--trying to think differently--to
ignore all that has been said?"

"Yes.... This is no time to bring up such things." Her uneven breathing
was perceptible to him as she moved by his side through the darkness,
her arm resting on his.

No, this was no time to bring up such things. They knew it. And she, who
in the confidence of her youth had dared to trust her unknown self,
listened now to the startled beating of her heart at the first hint of
peril.

"I wish I had not come," she said.

He did not ask her why.

"You are