er of us."

She looked up quickly; his eyes were turned away now, straying over the
tangled foliage of the crape-myrtles.

"I am sick of everything here," he went on--"East Angels, Gracias, the
whole of it. If you are tired of seeing the same few people always day
after day, what must I be? There are two spinster cousins of Aunt
Katrina's who might come down here for a while, and I dare say they
would come if I should ask them; with these ladies to manage the house,
with Dr. Reginald and Betty, Celestine and Looth, Aunt Katrina ought to
be tolerably comfortable."

Margaret had listened with keen attention. But she did not answer
immediately; when she did reply, she spoke quietly. "Yes, I should think
you would be glad to go north again, you have been tied down here so
long. I am sure we can assume now that there is at least no present
danger in Aunt Katrina's case; both of us certainly are not needed for
her, and therefore, as you did not speak of going, I thought I could.
But now that you have spoken, now that I see you do wish to go, I feel
differently, I give _you_ the chance. The change I wished for I will
create here, I will create it by buying this house from you--that will
be a change; I can amuse myself restoring it, if one can say that, when
it's not a church."

"You _would_ do that?" said Winthrop, eagerly. Then he colored. "I see;
it means that you will stay if _I_ go!"

"I shall do very well here if I have the place to think about," she went
on, "I shall have the land cultivated; perhaps I shall start a new
orange grove. Of course I shall lose money; but I can employ the negroes
about here, and I should like that; as to the household arrangements,
Aunt Katrina would be staying with me, not I with her; that would make
everything different."

"Yes; I could not come here as I do now, bag and baggage."

"I should not ask you," she answered, smiling. "I believe in your heart
you like no woman to lead a really independent life."

"You're right, I do not. They're not fitted for it."

"Oh--"

"And they're not happy in it."

"It's so good of you to think of our happiness."

"All this is of no consequence, Margaret, it's quite beside the mark.
The real issue is this: if I stay, you go; if I go, you will stay."

"I thought you didn't like repetitions; you're always so severe on poor
Aunt Betty when she indulges in them."

"You've got the upperhand, and you know it, and are glorying," he said,
sullenly