oman of our class--she's a lady or she's nothing at all. And a
lady couldn't be so lacking in refinement as to descend to a man
socially beneath her."

"I can see how ANY woman might fall in love with Victor Dorn."

"You're just saying that to be argumentative," said Davy with
conviction. "Take yourself, for example."

"I confess I don't see any such contrast between Victor and you--except
where the comparison's altogether in his favor," said Jane pleasantly.
"You don't know as much as he does. You haven't the independence of
character--or the courage--or the sincerity. You couldn't be a real
leader, as he is. You have to depend on influence, and on trickery."

A covert glance at the tall, solemn-looking young man riding silently
beside her convinced her that he was as uncomfortable as she had hoped
to make him.

"As for manners--and the things that go to make a gentleman," she went
on, "I'm not sure but that there, too, the comparison is against you.
You always suggest to me that if you hadn't the pattern set for men of
our class and didn't follow it, you'd be absolutely lost, Davy, dear.
While Victor--he's a fine, natural person, with the manners that grow
as naturally out of his personality as oak leaves grow out of an oak."

Jane was astonished and delighted by this eloquence of hers about the
man she loved--an eloquence far above her usual rather commonplace mode
of speech and thought. Love was indeed an inspirer! What a person she
would become when she had Victor always stimulating her. She went on:

"A woman would never grow tired of Victor. He doesn't talk stale stuff
such as all of us get from the stale little professors and stale,
dreary text-books at our colleges."

"Why don't you fall in love with him?" said Davy sourly.

"I do believe you're envious of Victor Dorn," retorted Jane.

"What a disagreeable mood you're in to-day," said Davy.

"So a man always thinks when a woman speaks well of another man in his
presence."

"I didn't suspect you of being envious of Selma. Why should you
suspect me of feeling ungenerously about Victor? Fall in love with him
if you like. Heaven knows, I'd do nothing to stop it."

"Perhaps I shall," said Jane, with unruffled amiability. "You're
setting a dangerous example of breaking down class lines."

"Now, Jane, you know perfectly well that while, if I married Selma
she'd belong to my class, a woman of our class marrying Victor Dorn
would sink to his