m Vane's hand and bent over it.

"Thank goodness somebody takes an intelligent interest in matters of
import," thought Binks--and then with a dull, unsqueaking thud his
enemy fell at his feet.

"My dear--my dear!" His master's voice came low and tense and pretence
was over. With hungry arms Vane caught the girl to him, and she did
not resist. He kissed her eyes, her hair, her lips, while she lay
passively against him. Then she wound her arms round his neck, and
gave him back kiss for kiss.

At last she pushed him away. "Ah! don't, don't," she whispered. "You
make it so hard, Derek--so awfully hard. . . ."

"Not on your life," he cried exultingly. "It's easy that I've made it,
my darling, so awfully easy. . . ."

Mechanically she patted her hair into shape, and then she stooped and
picked up the toy.

"We're forgetting Binks," she said quietly. She managed to get the
circular metal whistle out of the inside of the toy, and fixed it in
its appointed hole, while Vane, with a glorious joy surging through
him, leaned against the mantelpiece and watched her in silence. Not
until the squeaking contest was again going at full blast in a corner
did he speak.

"That was Mrs. Green's simpler alternative," he said reflectively.
"Truly her wisdom is great."

In silence Joan went towards the window. For a while she looked out
with unseeing eyes, and then she sank into a big easy chair with her
back towards Vane. A thousand conflicting emotions were rioting
through her brain; the old battle of heart against head was being
waged. She was so acutely alive to his presence just behind her; so
vitally conscious of his nearness. Her whole body was crying aloud for
the touch of his hands on her again--and then, a vision of Blandford
came before her. God! what did it matter--Blandford, or her father, or
anything? There was nothing in the world which could make up for--what
was it he had called it?--the biggest thing in Life.

Suddenly she felt his hands on her shoulders; she felt them stealing
down her arms. She felt herself lifted up towards him, and with a
little gasp of utter surrender she turned and looked at him with
shining eyes.

"Derek, my darling," she whispered. "Que je t'adore. . . ."

And then of her own accord, she kissed him on the lips. . . .

It was Binks's expression, about a quarter of an hour later, which
recalled them to earth again. With an air of pained disgust he
regarded them stolidly