a girl to take at such a juncture--but Joan
did not take it. Her elementals were alert, too, and she, too, had
reached the stage when sounds know shades, and above any cautious appeal
was the fear of sending this man adrift again.

"I wonder"--Raymond spoke hurriedly; he wanted to drive that startled
look out of the golden eyes--"I wonder if you're the sort that knows
truth when she sees it--even if it has to cover itself with the rags of
things that aren't truth?"

At this Joan laughed.

"I am afraid the heat has affected you," was what she said, gently.

"Well, anyway, you're not afraid of me!" Raymond saw that her eyes had
grown steady.

"Oh! no. I'm not afraid of you. I'm not often afraid of anything."

"I thought that. You wouldn't be doing that stunt at the Brier Bush if
you were the scary kind." Raymond accompanied his step to Joan's as
naturally as if she had permitted him to do so.

"I don't see why you speak as you do of my business," Joan interjected.
"It's how one interprets what one does that matters. I make a very good
income of what you term my stunt. Perhaps you're accustomed to girls who
use such means--wrongfully."

Joan felt quite proud of her small sting, but Raymond broke in joyously:

"You're mighty clever; you've struck on just what I mean. See here, you
don't know me and I don't know you----" At this Joan turned her face
away. "And I'm jolly glad we don't. It makes it all easier. I know very
little about girls--I dance with them and things like that when I have
to, but as a class I never cottoned to them much, nor they to me. I know
the ugly names tacked to things that might be innocent and happy enough.
Now your business--it could be a cover for something rather
different----?"

"But it isn't!" Joan broke in, hotly.

"I'm sure of that, but hear me out. There's something about you
that--that's got me. I can't forget you. I only want to know what you
care to give--the part that escapes the disguise that you wear! I want
to talk to you. I bet we have a lot to say to each other. Don't you see
it would be like fencing behind a shield? But how can we make this out
unless we utilize chances that might, if people were not decent and
honest, be wrong? I know I'm getting all snarled up--but I'm trying to
make you understand."

"You're not doing it very well." Joan was sweetly composed.

"Now suppose you and I were introduced--you with your veil off--that
would be all right, wouldn't it?"