rry me." Tom was no longer to be repressed.
"She's had the devil of a time ever since, and yesterday I told her
she shouldn't stand it any longer, and neither would I. Harrie has
hypnotized her mother. She thinks--"

"I'm unkind and unsympathetic and hard and cruel to give him up
because he is not well. It isn't that. You know it isn't that--"
Madeleine's fingers twisted in appeal and again her eyes were on
Selwyn. "You think it's dreadful in me not to marry your brother--"

"No, I don't. I think it would be much more dreadful in you if you
did marry him." Selwyn's hands made gesture. "However, we'll leave
that out. You say you told your mother you intended to marry Tom?"

Handkerchief to her lips, she nodded. "I told her, and Tom wrote
her, asking her consent. She wouldn't give it, and said I was
ungrateful and had no ambition, and that if she had a stroke I'd be
the cause. She's never had a stroke and is very healthy, but--"

Bursting into fresh tears, Madeleine this time hid her face in her
hands, and Tom, wanting much to comfort, miserably ignorant of how to
do it, and consciously awkward and restrained in the presence of
witnesses, stood by her side, his hand on her shoulder, and at sight
of him I reached swift decision.

"I'm glad you told her. You've been open and square and asked her
consent. One can't wait indefinitely for consent to do things." I
got up and took Madeleine by the hand. "Come in my room and take off
your hat and coat. When we come back we'll talk about what is best
to do."

Five minutes later we were back and, eyes bathed and face powdered,
Madeleine gave evidence of fresh injections of courage, and quickly
we began to plan. The 4 A.M. train was the best to take, but for
half an hour we talked of whether Shelby or Claxon was the better
town to go to for the marriage ceremony, which at either place could
be performed without the consent of parent or guardian, and
irrespective of the age of the applicants for the same. Though
preferring Shelby, Tom agreed to Claxon on my insisting on the latter
place, which was the Mecca for runaway couples from our section of
the state. If I were going with them--

"Going with them?" The inflection in Selwyn's voice was hardly
polite. "You don't intend--"

"Yes, I do. They've made a mess of the first try and they'll be
caught and brought back if somebody isn't there to keep them from
being held up. I'm going with them."

"How