me ago, and I cannot tell when he
will come back. Do you want to see him?"

"I don't know yet. It depends."

He thought she was surprised and curious, but she said nothing, and
nerving himself for the plunge, he resumed: "I came to see you in the
first place. I'm afraid you'll be astonished, Clare, but I want to know
if you will marry me."

She moved abruptly, turned her head for a moment, and then looked up at
him while the color gathered in her face. Her expression puzzled Dick,
but he imagined that she was angry.

"I am astonished. Isn't it a rather extraordinary request, after what you
said on board the launch?"

"No," said Dick, "it's very natural from my point of view. You see, I
fell in love with you the first time we met; but I got into disgrace soon
afterwards and have had a bad time since. This made it impossible for me
to tell you what I felt; but things are beginning to improve----"

He stopped, seeing no encouragement in her expression, for Clare was
fighting a hard battle. His blunt simplicity made a strong appeal. She
had liked and trusted him when he had with callow but honest chivalry
offered her his protection one night in England and he had developed fast
since then. Hardship had strengthened and in a sense refined him. He
looked resolute and soldierlike as he waited. Still, for his sake as well
as hers, she must refuse.

"Then you must be easily moved," she said. "You knew nothing about me."

"I'd seen you; that was quite enough," Dick declared and stopped. Her
look was gentler and he might do better if he could lessen the distance
between them and take her hand; he feared he had been painfully
matter-of-fact. Perhaps he was right, but the table stood in the way, and
if he moved round it, she would take alarm. It was exasperating to be
baulked by a piece of furniture.

"Besides," he resumed, "when everybody doubted me, you showed your
confidence. You wrote and said----"

"But you told me you tore up the letter," Clare interrupted.

Dick got confused. "I did; I was a fool, but the way things had been
going was too much for me. You ought to understand and try to make
allowances."

"I cannot understand why you want to marry a girl you think a thief."

Pulling himself together, Dick gave her a steady look. "I can't let that
pass, though if I begin to argue I'm lost. In a way, I'm at your mercy,
because my defense can only make matters worse. But I tried to explain on
board the launch."