e
you going?"

"To the house."

"Come back."

"I won't. I've said what I had to say."

He came after her. "And now you shall listen." They stood and looked
at each other. Her eyes measured him with some scorn, his met the look
squarely. "I care for you as the only thing worth while in life," he
said.

"I've not so much pride left you need think you have to say that to
save it," she burst forth.

"You are the one not true now. You know it, you have known it right
along. I hadn't even the arts of your world to know how to conceal
it."

"My world!" said Alexina.

"Very well; let's both be honest. I've fought it because I've had
enough decency to see the impossibility--oh, my God!--what's the use
being fool enough to talk about it. I haven't one cent on earth that's
my own; I'm worse than a beggar, if we are going to be quite honest
about matters, since I am a debtor."

"Oh," said Alexina; "oh, don't."

"I fought it out, or thought I had, down there in the glades, and
then got up and came back because I couldn't let you go--without--"

"I'm glad," said Alexina, "I'm glad."

"You don't know what you're saying."

"I do know," said the girl. "I'm glad, I'm glad--"

"Alexina!"

"I'm glad."

Her young face was white and solemn in the moonlight, but her eyes
came up to his with a splendid courage. "I'm glad," she repeated.

It might have been a moment, an hour, a day, an aeon, the two looked at
each other. Then their hands went out to each other, for very need of
human touch in the great awe of it.

When he spoke both were trembling.

"Will you wait?" he asked her. "It may be long." But the note in his
voice was new. The fight even then was begun.

"Yes," she told him, grave eyes meeting grave eyes, for young love is
solemn. Then he drew her to him and sight and sound went out, and the
solid round earth was spurned. And yet they were but two of the long,
unending line, mounting thus to God and His heaven, for it is for this
we are come into the world.

Suddenly Alexina slipped her hands from his and fled.

Molly was on the porch with Mr. Jonas. A toy harness from the
cotillion favors jangled on her dress. She had sunk laughing on a
bench to get breath.

"Yes," she told Mr. Jonas, "we go in the morning, to Cannes Brulee."

Alexina was coming up on the porch and to Molly. Straight she slipped
to her knees and her arms went around her mother.

"Dear me, Malise," said Molly.

The head of the girl