en with no conscious sense of the likeness between that
wayfarer--whom neither love nor interest nor security could tempt away
from the open road which called him,--and Anthony March. It was an inner
self that knew and found a chance to speak. It was that same self who had
answered for her when he asked whether she wanted him to come to Ravinia.

He had come to his decision then, with just that nod of the head. And
she, forlorn, was glad he had cast this temptation aside. That he was
plodding now sturdily along his highway. She flushed with shame at the
thought of him, ubiquitous among those egotists at Ravinia, enlisting
their interest, reminding Paula how much she liked him.

Why had he not hated her for suggesting such a thing? He had loved her
for it, she knew, because he understood the longing to comfort and
protect him which lay behind it. But that sort of comfort was not for
him. The torture of the unheard melodies, instead.

He did love her. This, utterly, she knew. His going away, even with no
farewell at all, cast no flaw upon the miraculous certainty of that.
Their one unreserved embrace remained the symbol of it.

She pressed her hands to her face and with a long indrawn breath
surrendered to the memory of it. It was hers--for always.

The family were sitting at dinner when she came down to the apple
house, and after a rather startled look at her, demanded to know where
she had been.

"Asleep in the orchard," she said. "And not altogether awake yet."

But she knew she must get away from them. The look she saw in Graham's
face would have decided that.

CHAPTER XVIII

A CASE OF NECESSITY

She told Rush when they left the table, that she had some shopping to do
in town for Paula and meant to go on the afternoon train. She was
expected back at Ravinia to-morrow anyhow. Beyond trying to persuade her
to let Pete drive her in he made no protest, but she could see that he
was troubled about it and she wasn't much surprised to find Wallace Hood
waiting on the station platform when her train got in.

She didn't, very much, mind Wallace. There was no appearance of his being
there in the role of guardian because she wasn't considered safe to leave
to herself. You could always trust Wallace to do a thing like that
perfectly.

It was a great piece of luck for him he told her. He had called up
Hickory Hill to congratulate John upon Paula's enormous success; had
learned from Rush of Mary's visit and th