She drew back a little, but Cheveril
showed no discomfiture. "You see, I'm getting on in life," he said, in a
patriarchal tone. "No doubt it was rank presumption on my part to
imagine myself in any way suited to you; but I thought it would be nice
to have a young wife to look after me. And you know the proverb about
'an old man's darling.' I believe I rather counted on that."

Again he looked quizzical; but the girl was not satisfied.

"That's ridiculous!" she said. "You talk as if you were fifty years
older than you are. It may be funny, but it isn't strictly honest."

Cheveril laughed.

"I know what you mean," he said. "But really I'm not being funny. And I
am telling you the simple truth when I say that all sentimental nonsense
was knocked out of me long ago, when the girl I cared for ran away with
a good-looking beast in the Army. Also, I am quite honest when I assure
you that I would rather be your trusted friend and accomplice than your
rejected suitor. By Jove, I seem to be asking a good deal of you!"

"No, don't laugh," she said quickly, almost as if something in his
careless speech had pained her. "We must look at the matter from every
stand-point before--before we take any action. Suppose you really did
want to marry some one? Suppose you fell in love again? What then?"

"What then?" said Cheveril. And, though he was obligingly serious, she
felt that somehow, somewhere, he was tricking her. "I should have to ask
you to release me in that event. But I don't think it's very likely that
will happen. I'm not so impressionable as I was."

She looked at him doubtfully. Obviously he was not in love with her, yet
she was uneasy. She had a curious sense of loss, of disappointment,
which even Jim's departure had not created in her.

"I don't feel that I am doing right," she said finally.

"I am quite unscrupulous," said Cheveril lightly. "Moreover, there is no
harm to any one in the transaction. Your life is your own. No one else
has the right to order it for you. It seems to me that in this matter
you need to consider yourself alone."

"And you," she said, in a troubled tone.

He surprised her an instant later by thrusting a friendly hand through
her arm.

"Come!" he said, smiling down at her. "Let us go and announce the good
news!"

And so she yielded to him, and went.

* * * * *

The news of Evelyn Harford's engagement to Lester Cheveril was no great
surprise to any on