of Kathrien, who could
doubt that such a marriage would bring her unhappiness?

Frederik's eyes rested thoughtfully on Hartmann's retreating figure.
Then a slight sound attracted his attention, and he looked up in time to
see Kathrien coming downstairs. Her simple white dress held no touch of
mourning, yet she was a wistful, pathetic little figure, full of
sadness.

"Ah, Kitty! See----" (taking out the tickets as he spoke). "Here's the
steamship tickets for Europe. I've arranged everything."

He took a step forward to meet her.

"Well, to-morrow's our wedding day, _lievling_, yes?"

"Yes," answered Kathrien in a breathless way.

"It'll be a June wedding," Frederik went on, "just as Oom Peter wished."

Kathrien forced herself to speak brightly.

"Yes--just as he wished. Everything is just as he----" she broke off
suddenly with a change of manner, and gazed at Frederik with beseeching
earnestness.

"Frederik, I don't want to go away. I don't want to take this journey to
Europe. If only I could stay quietly in--in my own dear home!"

CHAPTER X

A WASTED PLEA

Frederik concealed his annoyance as best he could, and smiled
affectionately at the little bride-to-be, trying to coax her out of her
mood. He looked around the familiar room a bit scornfully.

"Huh! This old cottage with its candles and lamps and shadows! What does
it amount to? Wait until I've shown you the home I _want_ you to
have--the house Mrs. Frederik Grimm _should_ live in."

He patted her arm once or twice as he spoke, to give further weight to
his words; but they seemed lost on Kathrien. Her eyes grew more and more
troubled and her sweet face increasingly wistful.

"I don't want to leave this house," she said. "I don't want any home but
this. I should be wretched if you took me away."

As she spoke, she glanced helplessly at the fresh flowers on Oom Peter's
desk, placed there daily by her faithful, loving little fingers.

"I'm sure Oom Peter would like to think of me as here, among our dear,
dear flowers!"

Frederik tried to reassure her as one does a child, and answered
soothingly:

"Of course--but what you need is a change, yes?"

Kathrien turned away and traced a pattern on the newel post with her
slender fingers. She found it very hard to talk. After a moment, she
went on:

"I--I've always wanted to please Oom Peter.--I always felt that I owed
everything to him--if he had lived and I could have seen his happiness
ove