ly of the play."

She drew back and looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Why--" It was hard to explain, but he blundered on. "I mean that, for a
little time, I was fool enough to hope that--that--some day you might
care for me. For of course you know, you've known all along--that
I--love you. But when I got the truth--"

"You haven't got the truth." She was interrupting him, but her face had
flashed into flame. "You haven't had it for one second; but you're going
to get it now. I'm not going to let our lives be wrecked by any silly
misunderstanding."

She stopped, then rushed on.

"Oh, Laurie, can't you see? The only truth that counts between us is
that I--I--adore you! I have from the very first--almost from the day
you came here--Oh, it's dreadful of you to make me say all this!"

She was sobbing now, in his arms. For a long moment he held her very
close and in utter silence. Like Bangs, but in a different way, he was
feeling the effects of a tremendous reaction.

"You'll make a man of me, Doris," he said brokenly, when he could speak.
"I'm not afraid to let you risk the effort. And when I come back from
France--"

"When you come back from France you'll come back to your wife," she told
him steadily. "If you're going, I'll marry you before you go. Then I'll
wait and pray, and pray and wait, till you come again. And you will come
back to me," she whispered. "Something makes me sure of it."

"I'll come back," he promised. "Now, for the first time, I am sure of
that, too."

Four hours later Mr. Laurence Devon, lingeringly bidding good night to
the lady of his heart, was surprised by a final confidence.

"Laurie," said Doris, holding him fast by, one button as they stood
together on the threshold of the little studio, "do you know my real
reason for giving up my ambition to go on the stage?"

"Yes. Me," said young Mr. Devon promptly and brilliantly. "But you
needn't do it. I'm not going to be the ball-and-chain type of husband."

"I know. But there are reasons within the reason." She twisted the
button thoughtfully. "It's because you're the real actor in the family.
When I remember what you did to the three of us in that murder scene,
and so quietly and naturally, without any heroics--"

She broke off. "There are seven million things about you that I love,"
she ended, "but the one I think I love the best of all is this: even in
your biggest moments, Laurie darling, you never, never 'emote'!"

CH