no reason why they should not
get on better than the majority of married people. Justin ate an
unusually hearty supper as if to fortify himself for his wooing.

He had made up his mind to ignore the change in Persis' circumstances
that his call might seem a spontaneous tribute to her personal
attractions. But the change in the house and its furnishings was so
pronounced that he judged it bad policy to pass it over without
comment. "I thought for a minute I'd come to the wrong house, Persis,
and I felt positively alarmed about myself. I knew if I couldn't find
the Dale place blindfolded, I needed the services of a nerve
specialist." He laughed a little with an air of catching himself up
before he had said too much, something he had found effective with many
women.

She smiled upon him gravely. "It was the improvements that mixed you
up, I suppose. There was a spot on the ceiling of mother's room where
the rain leaked through the winter she died. After the papering was
finished I missed that spot as if it had been human. Time and again
when I went into that room I'd jump as if I'd got into somebody else's
house by mistake." Her voice lost a subtle pensive quality as she
added: "But the new furniture ain't the best of the changes, Justin. I
wish I could show you the children, but they're all in bed and asleep."

"I'm not sure I'm sorry." Justin's voice was low and caressing. "It's
always been hard for us two to have any time alone. I used to wonder
when I came here who would be sitting by and listening to every word we
said, your father or your mother or Joel or some other young fellow
who'd discovered the most charming girl in Clematis. If fate has
granted us an evening to ourselves at last, let's be thankful."

He thought it a very fair beginning. The reference to their early love
affair could not fail to soften her. The implication that the
interference of interested third parties was responsible for keeping
them apart was cleverly done. It was a distinct surprise at the end of
an hour to find himself no further along than at the start. Justin had
no intention of offering his hand and heart to any woman without a
reasonable assurance of a rapturous acceptance, and singularly enough,
he was far from certainty. He had been making love in a restrained and
subtle fashion for the better part of an hour and was ready for an
avowal of his devotion as soon as Persis showed any intention of
meeting him ha