ay by
the daily dropping of tears, not to speak of its being rent by the
dynamite of daily quarrels. We know each other's tastes, but we know
hardly anything of each other's natures."

Nicolete looked at me strangely. 'Troth, it was a strange way to make
love, I knew.

"And what else?" she asked somewhat coldly.

"Well, then, though it's not a thing one cares to speak of, I'm a poor
man--"

Nicolete broke through my sentence with a scornful exclamation.

"You," I continued straight on,--"well, you have been accustomed to a
certain spaciousness and luxury of life. This it would be out of my
power to continue for you. These are real reasons, very real reasons,
dear Nicolete, though you may not think so now. The law of the world
in these matters is very right. For the rich and the poor to marry is
to risk, terribly risk, the very thing they would marry for--their
love. Love is better an unmarried than a married regret."

Nicolete was silent again.

"Think of your little woodland chalet, and your great old trees in the
park,--you couldn't live without them. I have, at most, but one tree
worth speaking of to offer you--"

I purposely waived the glamour which my old garden had for my mind, and
which I wouldn't have exchanged for fifty parks.

"Trees!" retorted Nicolete,--"what are trees?"

"Ah, my dear girl, they are a good deal,--particularly when they are
genealogical, as my one tree is not."

"Aucassin," she said suddenly, almost fiercely, "can you really jest?
Tell me this,--do you love me?"

"I love you," I said simply; "and it is just because I love you so much
that I have talked as I have done. No man situated as I am who loved
you could have talked otherwise."

"Well, I have heard it all, weighed it all," said Nicolete, presently;
"and to me it is but as thistledown against the love within my heart.
Will you cast away a woman who loves you for theories? You know you
love me, know I love you. We should have our trials, our ups and
downs, I know; but surely it is by those that true love learns how to
grow more true and strong. Oh, I cannot argue! Tell me again, do you
love me?"

And there she broke down and fell sobbing into my arms. I consoled her
as best I might, and presently she looked up at me through her tears.

"Tell me again," she said, "that you love me, just as you did
yesterday, and promise never to speak of all those cruel things again.
Ah! have you thought of the kind of men