" Julia said childishly.

"Oh, 'not that way'--that's all rubbish--that's the way girls talk;
that's just an expression they have! Listen! Do you doubt that I'll
always, _always_ love you?"

"Oh, no, Mark, of course not!" Julia admitted. "But I don't want to
marry any one--"

"Well, what do you want? Haven't I loved you since you were a little
girl?"

"Yes, I know--of course you have! Only"--Julia gave him a desperate
smile--"only I can't discuss such things here," she pleaded, "with that
woman so near!"

"You're right!" Mark said, with military promptness, and as one who
loves to receive his lady's orders. "We'll go out. Only--I wanted you to
see it!"

And as they went out he must stop to show her the admirably deep drawers
of the little sideboard and the ingenious arrangement by which the gas
was electrically lighted.

They thanked the woman, and began the long ride back to the settlement
house, for Julia never left Miss Toland long alone. In the Sacramento
Street car they both had to stand, but Mark found seats without
difficulty on the dummy of the Fillmore Street car, and laying his arm
along the back of Julia's seat, swung about so that his face was very
close to hers. A world of wistful tenderness filled his voice as he said
again:

"Well, darling, what do you think of it?"

Poor Mark! Perhaps if he had asked her only a week earlier, his lady
might have given him a kinder answer. But Julia was walking in a golden
dream to-day, a dream peopled only by herself and one other, and she
hardly noticed his emotion. She fixed her blue eyes vaguely on the black
eyes so near, and smiled a little.

"Oh, answer me, Julia!" Mark said impatiently. And a second later he
asked alertly: "Where'd you get the violets?"

"Oh--somebody," Julia temporized. Pink flooded her cheeks.

"Who?" said Mark, very calm.

"Oh, Mark, what a tone! Nobody you know!" Julia laughed.

"Is he in love with you?" Mark asked fiercely.

"Oh, don't be so silly! No, of course he's not."

"Tell me who he is!" Mark commanded grimly.

"Now, look here, Mark," Julia said sternly, "you stop that nonsense, or
you can get straight off this car, and I'll go home alone! And don't you
sulk, either, for it's too ridiculous, and I won't have it!"

Mark succumbed instantly.

"It's because I love you so," he said humbly. There was a little
silence, then Julia, watching the Sunday streets, said suddenly:

"Look, Mark, look at the _size_ of that ha