mething tells me they'll be top hole. Maybe not such traps as
these----" and Peter nodded toward the elaborate tea service being
brought in and arranged before Mrs. Crane, who was in her element as
hostess.

"No, you poor boys," she said, "I suppose you'll drink out of horrible
thick china----"

"Not china at all, ma'am," corrected Blair; "lovely white enamel,
though, with blue edges----"

"I know!" cried Carlotta, "like our motor lunch-box."

"Yes, that sort, and not bad, either. Oh, we'll rough it more or less,
but it won't be absolutely primitive,--not by a long shot!"

"It'll be absolutely perfect," said Peter, dreamily gazing off into
space, and seeing in his mind great white stretches of snowy landscape,
or black, gurgling holes in ice-bound rivers.

"You are so ridiculous!" declared his sister. "You're a regular Sybarite
at home. You love easy chairs and pillows and fresh flowers all about,
and all that,--then you want to go off where you'll have nothing nice at
all,--not even a laundry!"

"Right you are, Sis. The Human warious is hard to understand. Come
along, Carly, take me for a walk."

Rather slowly the girl rose, and the two sauntered forth, across the
wide veranda, across the lawn and down a garden path. Neither spoke
until, coming to a marble bench, they sat down and turned to look into
each other's eyes.

"Going to say yes before I go, Carly, or after I come back?"

"After you come back," was the prompt response.

"Oh, good! You promise to say it _then_?"

"Well, I don't say how _soon_ after."

"I'll decide on the soonness. Then I take it we're engaged?"

"You take it nothing of the sort! You know, Peter Crane, you can't boss
me as you do your own family!"

"Heaven forbid! Why, dear, I want you to boss me! Our life together will
be one grand boss,--and you can be it!"

"Don't be silly, I'm in earnest. I couldn't be happy with a dominating,
domineering man."

"Of course you couldn't. But I assure you I'm not one. You see, I only
dictate in my own family because they like to have me to do so. Mother
would be awfully upset if I didn't tell her what to do. Dad the
same,--although I'm not sure the old dear knows it himself. And as for
Julie,--why she just depends on me. So I naturally gravitate to the
place of Grand Mogul, because I can't help it. But with you, it's
different. You're a whole heap wiser, better and more fit to rule than
I. And if you'll rule me, I'll be greatly obliged,--