He was taken aback, but less so than she had expected, and possibly
that increased her bitterness.

'She's a girl,' he began.

'I could ha'e guessed that much. What sort o' girl?' she demanded,
and wished she had held her tongue.

'She--she's kin' o' fat----'

'Fat!' Christina uttered the word with as much disgust as she
would have evinced had she been handed a pound of streaky bacon
without the paper. 'How delightful! Anything else in the way of
charms?'

'Christina, gi'e me a chance, an' I'll tell ye a' aboot it.'

'Not another word! How long have you enjoyed the young lady's
acquaintance?'

'Only a couple o' evenin's, but----'

'Case of love at first sight, I suppose!'

He flared up. 'If ye hadna left me I wud never ha'e met her. If
ye had wrote me a dacent letter----'

'Whisht, man!' she said in momentary pity. 'Ye're talkin' like a
wean.'

'I canna help it. I'm that fond o' ye. An' it's no as if I had
done a black crime. It was a pure accident----'

'Jist like a penny novel,' she interrupted merciless again. 'Weel,
I'm sure ye're welcome to ha'e as mony girls as ye like--only,
ye'll ha'e to leave me oot. That's a'!' She took out her purse
and from it something small which, stepping forward, she laid on
the counter near him. Her engagement ring!

After a moment of strained silence--'Christina!' he gasped;
'Christina! ye canna mean it serious!'

'Good-bye,' she said stiffly, stepping back.

'But--but ye ha'ena heard ma story. It's no fair----'

'Oh,' she cried harshly, 'dinna keep on at that tune!'

All at once he drew himself up. 'Noo I see what ye mean,' he said
in an almost even voice. 'Ye had made up yer mind to be quit o'
me. Still, it wud ha'e been honester to say ye was fed up to ma
face. Weel, I'm no blamin' ye, an' I canna force ye to listen to
ma story, no that it wud be worth ma while noo to shame masel' wi'
the tellin'. I'll no even ask ye hoo ye cam' to hear aboot Maggie.
Maggie's jist an or'nar' girl, an' I'm jist an or'nar' chap that
done a stupid thing because he couldna think what else to dae.
Weel, ye'll sune forget me, an' maybe I'll sune forget you--wi' the
help o' a bullet----'

'Oh, dinna!' she whispered.

'An' as for this'--he picked up the ring and let it drop on the
floor--'to hell wi' sich nonsense!'--and ground it under his heel.
'So long!' he said, and went out quickly.

XX

THE REAL THING AT LAST

For an appreciable number of sec