a girl under the sun,
especially if so attractive as this one, she would have been kissed
until she gasped for breath; but he just couldn't do it. However, if she
went so far as to _ask_ him to kiss her, _by George_! he didn't see how
he was to get out of it!

"I should really like to kiss you," he admitted with a martyr-like sigh
and a further echo of her own frankness, "but I shan't. Under the
circumstances it would not be right."

He reflected, grinning, that mother would be proud if she could see him
now, then he thought, grinning harder, of the boys at the club. If
_they_ only knew!

"There, didn't I say so!" she triumphantly exclaimed. "I told Aunt
Matilda that there certainly must be _some_ good men in the world!"

Good! He winced as certain memories of his careless youth began to do
cake-walks up and down his conscience. Then he changed the subject.

She snuggled up closely to him, by and by, confidingly and unsuspicious,
and just talked and talked and talked. It was very pleasant to have her
there at his side, babbling innocently away in that sweet, musical
voice. How pretty she was, how artless and trusting, how honest and how
heart-whole! It came to him that his family and friends had for a long
time been telling him that he ought to get married, and he began to see
that they were right.

How delightful it would be to stay on forever in this enchanted grove
with her. He presently found himself fervently saying it, though he had
not intended such words to pass his lips. She took the wish as a matter
of course. She had confidently expected him to feel that way about it,
and, if he felt that way, to say so.

"Adnah Eggleson!"

They jumped like juvenile jam-thieves caught red-handed.

Aunt Sarah and Aunt Ann and Aunt Matilda rigidly confronted them, having
stolen upon them unseen, unheard, unthought of, and they stood now in
grim horror, merciless and implacable. They advanced in a swooping body,
after one moment of agonizing suspense, and snatched Adnah into their
midst, glaring three kinds of loathing scorn upon the interloping
serpent.

"Has this person _kissed_ you, or attempted to do so?" hissed Aunt
Sarah.

"Not yet," meekly answered poor Adnah.

"I assure you ladies--," began the serpent, but Aunt Sarah cut him
short.

"Silence, sir!" she commanded. "We wish no explanations from you,
whatsoever."

Thus crushing him, the little company wheeled and marched away, bearing
Adnah an unwillin