all that she had
always seemed; to-day an incomprehensible and subtle change had
befallen her--a change so mystifying to him that for a moment he almost
doubted that she was Mamie Pike. It came to him with a breath-taking
shock that her face lacked a certain vivacity of meaning; that its
sweetness was perhaps too placid; that there would have been a deeper
goodness in it had there been any hint of daring. Astonishing questions
assailed him, startled him: could it be true that, after all, there
might be some day too much of her? Was her amber hair a little
too--FLUFFY? Was something the matter with her dress? Everything she
wore had always seemed so beautiful. Where had the exquisiteness of it
gone? For there was surely no exquisiteness about it now! It was
incredible that any one could so greatly alter in the few days elapsed
since he had seen her.

Strange matters! Mamie had never looked prettier.

At the sound of Ariel's voice he emerged from the profundities of his
psychic enigma with a leap.

"She is lovelier than ever, isn't she?"

"Yes, indeed," he answered, blankly.

"Would you still risk--" she began, smiling, but, apparently thinking
better of it, changed her question: "What is the name of your dog, Mr.
Louden? You haven't told me."

"Oh, he's just a yellow dog," he evaded, unskilfully.

"YOUNG MAN!" she said, sharply.

"Well," he admitted, reluctantly, "I call him Speck for short."

"And what for long? I want to know his real name."

"It's mighty inappropriate, because we're fond of each other," said
Joe, "but when I picked him up he was so yellow, and so thin, and so
creeping, and so scared that I christened him 'Respectability.'"

She broke into light laughter, stopped short in the midst of it, and
became grave. "Ah, you've grown bitter," she said, gently.

"No, no," he protested. "I told you I liked him."

She did not answer.

They were now opposite the Pike Mansion, and to his surprise she
turned, indicating the way by a touch upon his sleeve, and crossed the
street toward the gate, which Mamie and Eugene had entered. Mamie,
after exchanging a word with Eugene upon the steps, was already
hurrying into the house.

Ariel paused at the gate, as if waiting for Joe to open it.

He cocked his head, his higher eyebrow rose, and the distorted smile
appeared. "I don't believe we'd better stop here," he said. "The last
time I tried it I was expunged from the face of the universe."