knock at the door made her start nervously, and for a long moment she
hesitated before replying. At the sight of Buck Stratton standing on the
threshold, she flushed painfully and sprang to her feet.

"Good morning," he said gently, as he came quickly over to her. "I hope
you're feeling a lot better."

"Oh, yes," she answered briefly. "I'm really quite all right now."

He had taken her hand and still held it, and somehow the mere pressure of
his fingers embarrassed her oddly and seemed to weaken her resolution.

"You don't quite look it," he commented. "I reckon it'll take some time to
get rid of those--those shadows and hollows and all."

He was looking down at her with that same tender, whimsical smile that
quirked the corners of his mouth unevenly, and the expression in his eyes
set Mary's heart to fluttering. She could not bear it, somehow! To give
him up was even harder than she had expected, and suddenly her lids
drooped defensively to hide the bright glitter that smarted in her eyes.

Suddenly he broke the brief silence. "When are you going to marry me,
dear?" he asked quietly.

Her lids flew up and she stared at him through a blurring haze of tears.
"Oh!" she cried unsteadily. "I can't! I--can't. You--you don't know how I
feel. It's all too--dreadful! It doesn't seem as if I could ever--look you
in the face again."

Swiftly his arms slid about her, and she was drawn gently but irresistibly
to him.

"Don't try just now, dear, if you'd rather not," he murmured, smiling down
into her tear-streaked face. "You'll have a long time to get used to it,
you know."

Instinctively she tried to struggle. Then all at once a wave of incredible
happiness swept over her. Abruptly nothing seemed to matter--nothing on
earth save this one thing. With a little sigh like that of a tired child,
her arm stole up about his neck, her head fell gently back against his
shoulder.

* * * * *

"Oh!" Mary said abruptly, struck by a sudden recollection. It was an hour
later, and they sat together on the sofa. "I had a letter from Stella
to-day." A faintly mischievous light sparkled in her eyes. "She sent her
love--to you."

Buck flushed a little under his tan. "Some little kidder, isn't she, on
short acquaintance?" he commented.

"Short!" Mary's eyes widened. "Why, she knew you before I did!"

"Maybe so, but I didn't know her."

Buck had rather dreaded the moment when he would have