thought that mattered."

Her hands clenched more tightly for an instant--and then lay open and
limp in her lap.

Her lips were trembling; so she smiled. "I didn't think it mattered
until you asked me to marry you. Then I knew it did. It was game of you
to offer to take a chance, but I'm not that game. I couldn't marry a
strange man. I like that man a lot, but I don't love him--and you don't
want me to marry you if I don't love you, do you, Hugh?"

"Of course not." He looked down in earnest thought and then said
softly, his eyes on the table, "I'm glad that you feel that way,
Cynthia." She bit her lip and trembled slightly. "I'll confess now that
I don't think that I love you, either. You sweep me clean off my feet
when I'm with you, but when I'm away from you I don't feel that way. I
think love must be something more than we feel for each other." He
looked up and smiled boyishly. "We'll go on being friends anyhow, won't
we?"

Somehow she managed to smile back at him. "Of course," she whispered,
and then after a brief pause added: "We had better go now. Your train
will be leaving pretty soon."

Hugh pulled out his watch. "By jingo, so it will."

He called the waiter, paid his bill, and a few minutes later they turned
into Fifth Avenue. They had gone about a block down the avenue when Hugh
saw some one a few feet ahead of him who looked familiar. Could it be
Carl Peters? By the Lord Harry, it was!

"Excuse me a minute, Cynthia, please. There's a fellow I know."

He rushed forward and caught Carl by the arm. Carl cried, "Hugh, by
God!" and shook hands with him violently. "Hell, Hugh, I'm glad to see
you."

Hugh turned to Cynthia, who was a pace behind them. He introduced Carl
and Cynthia to each other and then asked Carl why in the devil he
hadn't written.

Carl switched his leg with his cane and grinned. "You know darn well,
Hugh, that I don't write letters, but I did mean to write to you; I
meant to often. I've been traveling. My mother and I have just got back
from a trip around the world. Where are you going now?"

"Oh, golly," Hugh exclaimed, "I've got to hurry if I'm going to make
that train. Come on, Carl, with us to Grand Central. I've got to get the
five-ten back to Haydensville. My folks are coming up to-morrow for
commencement." Instantly he hated himself. Why did he have to mention
commencement? He might have remembered that it should have been Carl's
commencement, too.

Carl, however, did not s