a match and amused
myself making cups out of the leaves by the light of a few more. They
don't hold much, but I managed to set a good few to catch the rain drops
as they fell, and that's better than nothing."

"Have you had any?" she asked politely.

"I was waiting for you, but I'll take a drink now." He retired and did
not return till she called him again.

"I wish you would take your coat. You must be so chilled," she ventured.
"The rug will do for me."

"Are you quite sure?" he asked and Joyce noticed that his hands were
blue with cold. After putting on his coat he was about to retire again
when she stopped him wistfully. "Please stay--I feel so frightened
alone."

"I thought you preferred not to have me around," he said dropping down
beside her.

For answer she wept into her arms as they rested on her knees.

"I was beastly, last night, wasn't I--poor little kid," he said in
gentler tones than she had ever heard from him. "Can't you have it in
your heart to forgive me?--just wipe it out as though it had never
happened?"

"I can forgive you, but--I--could never wipe it out. I feel so degraded.
It is like having an ugly stain on a page you had always wanted to keep
clean."

Dalton studied her as something entirely new to his experience. "I have
never in my life met anyone like you. It has been an eye-opener to a man
like me. I didn't understand you all this time. I am just beginning to,
now. Tell me frankly your idea."

"It is nothing extraordinary," she said drying her eyes. "It is only
that I did not believe a gentleman could treat a decent married girl as
you did me. I wanted to be like brother and sister, and I thought you
understood. Anything else never entered my head as possible to
self-respecting people."

"And I have spoilt all your pretty illusions!--let down my sex too,
rather badly! What don't I deserve! It would relieve my feelings if you
slanged me for all you are worth. Believe me, you have done no wrong. It
is only that I see things crookedly, and am just what you called me, an
'unspeakable cad.' I should have respected your helplessness. Truly, I
deserve to be shot."

"I _have_ been very silly, I don't care what you say. But I never can
remember I am grown up!" she said pathetically. "Honor told me that
people would talk, but I did not believe they had any cause. Now I
realise what they are thinking! and it breaks my heart. They will
believe I am like Mrs. Fox. She does things that l