in
the world. Will you marry me?"

"Marry you," she cried scornfully; "you who----"

"Pardon me," he said. "I have asked a question. Give me no for an
answer, and I will go. Say yes, and then you may say anything else you
like. Yes or no. Shall I go or stay? Yes or no. No other word will do."

She looked at him, her head thrown back, her eyes flashing with
indignation. A world of scorn showed in the angle of the chin, the poise
of her head. Her lips opened. Then suddenly her eyes met his, and she
knew that he meant what he said. She covered her face with her hands.

"Don't--don't cry, dear one," he said. "What is it? You've only to
choose. Everything is for you to decide."

Still she did not speak.

"Good-bye, then," he said, and turned. But she caught at him blindly.

"Don't--don't go!" she cried. "I didn't think I cared about you in the
summer, but since you went away, oh, you don't know how I've wanted
you!"

* * * * *

"Well," he said, when her tears were dried, "aren't you going to scold
me?"

"Don't!" said she.

"At least tell me all about my brother--and why he thought you would be
so ready to marry him."

"That? Oh, that was only his conceit. You know I always do talk to
people in railway carriages and things. I suppose he thought it was only
him I talked to."

"And the name?"

"I--I thought if I said my name was Susannah he wouldn't get
sentimental."

"You 'took a false name to deceive him'?"

"Don't--oh, don't!"

"And the tobacco shop?"

"Ah--that rankles?" She raised her head to look at him.

"Not it," he answered coolly. "I simply don't believe it."

"Why? But you're quite right. It was a woman in my district in London,
and I took the shop for her for three days, because her husband was
dying, and she couldn't get any one else to help her. It was--it was
rather fun--and--and----"

"And you wouldn't tell me about it, because you didn't want me to know
how proud you were of it."

"Proud? Ah, you do understand things! The man died, and I had given her
those three days with him. I wasn't proud, was I?--only glad that I
could. So glad--so glad!"

"But you let my brother think----"

"Oh yes, I let him think it was my trade; I thought it might make him
not be silly. You see, I always knew he couldn't understand things."

"Celia?"

"Yes?"

"And have you really forgiven me?"

"Yes, yes, I forgive you! But I never should have if---- There's mother