we won't have to take the trip on tourists' tickets, and there's enough
money to make us comfortable all the rest of our lives."

"How hard you must have worked and suffered!"

He smiled, and, rising from his chair, stood looking down at her from
the other side of the table.

"Nobody else ever accused me of that, but I sure have to plead guilty
to you. Why, dear, since the day you came into my life, hell-raising
took a sneak out the back door, and God poked His toe in the front, and
ever since then I think He's been coming a little closer to me. I used
to be a fellow without much faith, and kidded everybody who had it, and
I used to say to those who prayed and believed, 'You may be right, but
show me a message.' You came along, and brought that little document in
your sweet face and your dear love. Laura, you turned the trick for me,
and I think I'm almost a regular man now."

She turned her head away, unwilling that he should see her face, afraid
that he might read there the whole miserable truth. As he spoke, his
words brought to her a full realization of all she was to this man, and
she became more and more unnerved. It was more than she could bear.
Feebly she murmured:

"Please, John, don't. I'm not worth it."

Rising suddenly from the sofa, she went to the window. The air of the
room was hot and stifling. She felt herself growing faint.

"Not worth it?" he exclaimed lightly, going up to her. "Why, you're
worth that and a whole lot more. And see how you've got on! Brockton
told me you never could get along in your profession, but I knew you
could."

He walked around the room, inspecting the furnishings and knickknacks.
Finally, he turned, and, with an interrogative note in his voice, said:

"Gee! fixed up kind o' scrumptious, ain't you? I guess you've been
almost as prosperous as I have."

She forced a laugh. With affected carelessness, she said:

"You can get a lot of gilt and cushions in New York at half-price, and,
besides, I've got a pretty good part now."

"Of course, I know that," he smiled; "but I didn't think it would make
you quite so comfortable. Great, ain't it?"

"Yes."

Taking her by the shoulders, and shaking her playfully, he went on:

"I knew what you had in you, and here you are. You succeeded, and I
succeeded, but I'm going to take you away; and after a while, when
things sort of smooth out, we're going to move back here, and go to
Europe, and just have a great time, like a coupl