ot so far that he could not see the sudden agitation in her
face.

"Ah!" he cried, rising too, "I don't want you to think I don't
understand, or that I meant _I_ should ever ask you to stay here! I
couldn't mean that; you know I couldn't, don't you? You know I
understand that it's all just your beautiful friendliness, don't you?"

"It isn't beautiful; it's just ME, Joe," she said. "It couldn't be any
other way."

"It's enough that you should be here now," he went on, bravely, his
voice steady, though his hand shook. "Nothing so wonderful as your
staying could ever actually happen. It's just a light coming into a
dark room and out again. One day, long ago--I never forgot it--some
apple-blossoms blew by me as I passed an orchard; and it's like that,
too. But, oh, my dear, when you go you'll leave a fragrance in my
heart that will last!"

She turned toward him, her face suffused with a rosy light. "You'd
rather have died than have said that to me once," she cried. "I'm glad
you're weak enough now to confess it!"

He sank down again into his chair and his arms fell heavily on the
desk. "Confess it!" he cried, despairingly. "And you don't deny that
you're going away again--so it's true! I wish I hadn't realized it so
soon. I think I'd rather have tried to fool myself about it a little
longer!"

"Joe," she cried, in a voice of great pain, "you mustn't feel like
that! How do you know I'm going away again? Why should I want the old
house put in order unless I mean to stay? And if I went, you know that
I could never change; you know how I've always cared for you--"

"Yes," he said, "I do know how. It was always the same and it always
will be, won't it?"

"I've shown that," she returned, quickly.

"Yes. You say I know how you've cared for me--and I do. I know HOW.
It's just in one certain way--Jonathan and David--"

"Isn't that a pretty good way, Joe?"

"Never fear that I don't understand!" He got to his feet again and
looked at her steadily.

"Thank you, Joe." She wiped sudden tears from her eyes.

"Don't you be sorry for me," he said. "Do you think that 'passing the
love of women' isn't enough for me?"

"No," she answered, humbly.

"I'll have people at work on the old house to-morrow," he began. "And
for the--"

"I've kept you so long!" she interrupted, helped to a meek sort of
gayety by his matter-of-fact tone. "Good-night, Joe." She gave him her
hand. "I don't want you to come wit