m her lips and eyes:

"If you behave like a veiled prophet you'll end by scaring me," she
said.

But he merely gathered her into his arms and kissed her--laid back her
head and looked down into her face and kissed her lips, without haste,
as though she belonged to him.

Her head rested quite motionless on his shoulder. Perhaps she was
still too taken aback to do anything about the matter. Her heart had
hurried a little--not much--stimulated, possibly, by the rather
agreeable curiosity which invaded her--charmingly expressive, now, in
her wide brown eyes.

"So that's the way of it," he concluded, still looking down at her.
"There are other women in the world. And life is long. But I marry you
or nobody. And it's my opinion that I shall not die unmarried."

She smiled defiantly.

"You don't seem to think much of my opinions," she said.

"Are you more friendly to mine?"

"Certain opinions of yours," he retorted, "originated in the diseased
bean of some crazy Russian--never in your mind! So of course I hold
them in contempt."

She saw his face darken, watched it a moment, then impulsively drew
his head down against hers.

"I do care for your opinions," she said, her cheek, delicately warm,
beside his. "So, even if you can not comprehend mine, be generous to
them. I'm sincere. I try to be honest. If you differ from me, do it
kindly, not contemptuously. For there is no such thing as 'noble
contempt!' There is respectability in anger and nobility in tolerance.
But none in disdain, for they are contradictions."

"I tell you," he said, "I despise and hate this loose socialistic
philosophy that makes a bonfire of everything the world believes in!"

"Don't hate other creeds; merely conform to your own, Jim. It will
keep you very, very busy. And give others a chance to live up to their
beliefs."

He felt the smile on her lips and cheek:

"I can't live up to my belief if I marry you," she said. "So let us
care for each other peacefully--accepting each other as we are. Life
is long, as you say.... And there are other women.... And ultimately
you will marry one of them. But until then----"

He felt her lips very lightly against his--cool young lips, still and
fragrant and sweet.

After a moment she asked him to release her; and she rose and walked
across the room to the mirror.

Still busy with her hair, she turned partly toward him:

"Apropos of nothing," she said, "a man was exceedingly impudent to me
on the