th a questionable shadow on his life, had
compelled her respect and confidence, while in his evident education and
social culture he had won her deepest admiration. She felt that he was
all that Phil was, and more. There was in her feeling toward him, as he
offered himself to her now, no hint of that instinctive repulsion and
abhorrence with which she had received Professor Parkhill's declaration
of spiritual affinity. Her recent experience with the Master of
Aesthetics had so outraged her womanly instincts that the inevitable
reaction from her perplexed and troubled mind led her to feel more
deeply, and to be drawn more strongly, toward this man with whom any
woman might be proud to mate. At the same time, the attractions of the
life which she knew he could give her, and for which she longed so
passionately, with the relief of the thought that her parents would not
need to sacrifice themselves for her, were potent factors in the power
of Lawrence Knight's appeal.

"It would be wonderful," she said musingly. "I have dreamed and dreamed
about such things."

"You will come with me, dear? You will let me give you your heart's
wish--you will go with me into the life for which you are so fitted?"

"Do you really want me, Patches?" she asked timidly, as though in her
mind there was still a shadow of doubt.

"More than anything in the world," he urged. "Say yes. Kitty. Say that
you will be my wife."

The answer came softly, with a hint of questioning, still.

"Yes."

Kitty did not notice that the man had not spoken of his love for her.
There were so many other things for her to consider, so many other
things to distract her mind. Nor did the man notice that Kitty herself
had failed to speak in any way that little word, which, rightly
understood, holds in its fullest, deepest meaning, all of life's
happiness--of labor and accomplishment--of success and triumph--of
sacrifice and sorrow; holds, in its fullest, deepest meaning, indeed,
all of life itself.

CHAPTER XV.

ON CEDAR RIDGE.

Kitty's friends were very glad to welcome her at their camp in Granite
Basin. The incident which had so rudely broken the seclusion of their
honeymoon had been too nearly a tragedy to be easily forgotten. The
charm of the place was, in some degree, for them, lost, and Kitty's
coming helped to dispel the cloud that had a little overshadowed those
last days of their outing.

It was not at all difficult for them to persuade Kitty