leaned an elbow on the corner of the table and looked into her eyes.

"Say yes, Christine," he urged. "If you want to marry me, Mrs. Wyatt
won't stand in the way; after all, you've known me all your life."

She flushed and stammered:

"Jimmy--I--I think I'm a little afraid. Supposing--supposing you found
out that--that you'd made a mistake----" Her eyes were troubled.

Jimmy's face caught the flush from hers; for a moment his eyes wavered.

"We're going to be awfully happy," he asserted then, almost violently.
"If you love me----"

"You know I do." His hand fell carelessly to hers.

"Very well, then say yes."

Christine said it.

She thought everything perfect; she had never been so happy in all her
life. If Jimmy did not love her tremendously, he would not be so
anxious to be married, she told herself. Theirs was going to be one of
those romantic marriages of which one reads in books.

"Shall I speak to Mrs. Wyatt, or will you?" he asked her.

"I think I would like to--first," she told him.

"Very well." Jimmy was relieved. He was somehow a little afraid of
Mrs. Wyatt's kind mother eyes; he dreaded lest she might read deep down
into his heart, and know what he was doing--guess that he was only
marrying Christine because--because why?

To forget another woman; to pay another woman out for the way she had
treated him. That is how he would have answered that question had he
been quite honest with himself; but as it was he evaded facing it at
all. He merely contented himself with assuring Christine all over
again that he was going to be very good to her and make her happy.

"I'll tell mother to-night," Christine said when they went back to the
hotel. "And I'll write to you, Jimmy; I'll----" she broke off. The
porter had come forward; he spoke to Jimmy in an undertone.

"May I speak to you a moment, sir?"

Christine moved away.

"If you will ask the young lady to wait, sir," the man said again with
a sort of agitation.

A little flame of apprehension swept across Jimmy's face. He spoke to
Christine.

"Wait for me a moment--just a moment." He turned again to the man.
"Well--well, what is it?"

The man lowered his voice.

"The lady, sir--Mrs. Wyatt; she was taken very ill an hour ago. The
doctor is with her now. I was told to tell you as soon as you came in,
so that you could warn the young lady, sir."

Christine had come forward.

"Is anything the matter?" she asked. She looked