ave all the rest of my life to get married in?" she queried,
demurely.

"You have if you insist upon taking it, darling, but I feel very
strongly to get married to-day."

"Not to-day," she demurred.

"Why not? It's only half past one and the ceremony doesn't last over
twenty minutes. I suppose it can be cut down to fifteen or eighteen if
you insist upon having it condensed. You don't even need to wash your
face. Get your hat and come on."

His tone was tender, even pleading, but some far survival of Primitive
Woman, whose marriage was by capture, stirred faintly in Eloise. "Our
friends won't like it," she said, as a last excuse.

[Sidenote: The Two Concerned]

He noted, with joy, that she said "won't," instead of "wouldn't," but
she did not realise that she had betrayed herself. "We don't care, do
we?" he asked. "It's our wedding and nobody's else. When we can't please
everybody, we might as well please ourselves. Matrimony is the one thing
in the world that concerns nobody but the two who enter into it--and
it's the thing that everybody has the most to say about. While you're
putting on your hat, I'll get the license and see about a carriage."

"I thought I'd wait until Barbara could go to town with me," she said.

"There's nothing to hinder your coming back for her, if you want to and
she isn't willing to come with Roger. I insist upon having my honeymoon
alone."

"All alone? If I were very good, wouldn't you let me come along?"

Allan coloured. "You know what I mean," he said, softly. "I've waited so
long, darling, and I think I've been patient. Isn't it time I was
rewarded?"

They were on the beach, behind the friendly sand-dune that had been
their trysting place all Summer. Thoroughly humble in her surrender, yet
wholly womanly, Eloise put her soft arms around his neck. "I will," she
said. "Kiss me for the last time before----"

"Before what?" demanded Allan, as, laughing, she extricated herself from
his close embrace.

"Before you exchange your sweetheart for a wife."

[Sidenote: More Secure]

"I'm not making any exchange. I'm only making my possession more secure.
Look, dear."

He took from his pocket a shining golden circlet which exactly fitted
the third finger of her left hand. Their initials were engraved inside.
Only the date was lacking.

"I've had it for a long, long time," he said, in reply to her surprised
question. "I hoped that some day I might find you in a yielding mood."

Whe