he cried. And in a gust of passion he
caught her to his breast and kissed her triumphantly. "I love you--and
you're mine--mine!"

She released herself with the faint insistent push that seemed weak, but
always accomplished its purpose. Her lip was trembling. "You said you'd
be kind," she murmured.

He gazed at her with a baffled expression. "Oh--I understand," he said.
"And I shall be kind. But I must teach you to love me."

Her trembling lip steadied. "You must be careful or you may teach me to
hate you," said she.

He studied her in a puzzled way, laughed. "What a mystery you are!" he
cried with raillery. "Are you child or are you woman? No matter. We
shall be happy."

The taxicab was swinging to the curb. In the restaurant he ordered an
enormous meal. And he ate enormously, and drank in due proportion. She
ate and drank a good deal herself--a good deal for her. And the results
were soon apparent in a return of the spirits that are normal to
twenty-one years, regardless of what may be lurking in the heart, in a
dark corner, to come forth and torment when there is nothing to distract
the attention.

"We shall have to live quietly for a while," said he. "Of course you
must have clothes-at once. I'll take you shopping to-morrow." He laughed
grimly. "Just at present we can get only what we pay cash for. Still,
you won't need much. Later on I'll take you over to Paris. Does that
attract you?"

Her eyes shone. "How soon?" she asked.

"I can tell you in a week or ten days." He became abstracted for a
moment. "I can't understand how I let them get me down so easily--that
is, I can't understand it now. I suppose it's just the difference
between being weak with illness and strong with health." His eyes
concentrated on her. "Is it really you?" he cried gaily. "And are you
really mine? No wonder I feel strong! It was always that way with me. I
never could leave a thing until I had conquered it."

She gave him a sweet smile. "I'm not worth all the trouble you seem to
have taken about me," said she.

He laughed; for he knew the intense vanity so pleasantly hidden beneath
her shy and modest exterior. "On the contrary," said he good-humoredly,
"you in your heart think yourself worth any amount of trouble. It's a
habit we men have got you women into. And you--One of the many things
that fascinate me in you is your supreme self-control. If the king were
to come down from his throne and fall at your feet, you'd take it as