he could laugh quite
cheerfully at the funny man's antics. Joan never even looked at them;
she sat with her eyes on Dick, just watching him all the time. When they
had driven back to the hotel at which the Rutherfords were staying, and
in the taxi Dick had taken her into his arms and rather fiercely made
her swear that she loved him, that she was glad to be marrying him, some
shadow from her anguish had touched on him, it seemed he could not let
her go. "Damn to-morrow!" he said hoarsely, and held her so close that
the pressure hurt, yet she was glad of the pain as it came from him.

She could not ask him into the hotel, for they had no private
sitting-room, so they said good-night to each other on the steps, with
the taxi driver and the hotel porter watching them.

"To-morrow, then, at twelve," Dick had whispered. "But I am going to
bring Mabel round before then; she gets up at about eleven, I think."

"To-morrow," Joan answered; her eyes would not let him go.

They stood staring at each other for a minute or two while the taxi-cab
driver busied himself with the engine of his car, and the hall porter
walked discreetly out of sight. Then Dick lifted his hand quickly to the
salute and turned away.

"Drive like hell!" he said to the man. "Anywhere you please, but end me
up at the Junior Conservative Club."

"Couldn't even kiss her," communed the man to himself. "That's the worst
of being a toff. Can't kiss your girl if anyone else happens to be
about."

Mabel had been very nice to Joan the next morning. She had buried all
thoughts of jealousy and dismay, and when she looked into the other
girl's eyes she forgave her everything and was only intensely sorry for
her. Mrs. Grant had, very fortunately, as Dick said, stuck to her
opinion and refused to have anything to do with the wedding. She had
said good-bye to Dick on Friday morning with a wild outburst of tears,
but he could not really feel that it meant very much to her.

"Mother will have forgotten in a week that she disapproved," Mabel told
Joan. "You must very often come and spend the day with us."

Then they had driven down to the registry office, all four of them, and
in a dark, rather dingy little room, a man with a curiously irritating
voice had read aloud something to them from a book. Now they stood
outside in the sunshine again, Mabel had kissed Joan, and Uncle John was
blinking at her out of old eyes that showed a suspicion of tears in
them. A big cl