t I mean to say," he added, "is
that you are quite right Aunt, except in these particulars, in which
you are entirely wrong. But before we go further, what about a little
sustenance. Aren't you horribly hungry?"

"I am sure they are both starved," said Desire. "And I hate to remind
you that you ate the last sandwich. Will you make Aunt Caroline
comfortable while I cut some more? Perhaps Dr. John will help
me--although we haven't shaken hands yet."

She held out her hands to the uneasy doctor with a charming gesture of
understanding. "Did you expect to see a squaw, too', Doctor?"

"I expected to see, just you." His response was a little too eager. "I
had seen you before--by a pool, bending over--"

"Oh, the photograph? Benis is terribly proud of it,"

"Best I've ever done," confirmed the professor. "Did you notice the
curious light effect on that silver birch at the left?"

"Wonderful," said Rogers, but he wasn't thinking of the light effect on
the silver birch. As he followed Desire to the tent his orderly mind
was in a tumult. "He doesn't know how wonderful she is!" he thought.
"And she doesn't care whether he does or not. And that explains--" But
he saw in a moment that it didn't explain anything. It only made the
mystery deeper.

"And now, Benis, that we are alone--" began Aunt Caroline....

We may safely leave out several pages here. If you realize Aunt
Caroline at all, you will see that at least so much self-expression is
necessary before anyone else can expect a chance. Time enough to pick
up the thread again when the inevitable has happened and her exhausted
vocabulary is replaced by tears.

"Not that I care at all for my own feelings," wept Aunt Caroline.
"There are others to think of. What will Bainbridge say?"

Her nephew roused himself. From long experience he knew that the worst
was over.

"Bainbridge, my dear Aunt," he said, "will say exactly what you tell it
to say. It was because we realized this that we decided to leave the
whole matter in your hands--all the announcing and things. But of
course," with resignation, "if we have taken too much for granted; if
you are not equal to it, we had better not come back to Bainbridge at
all."

"Oh," cried Aunt Caroline with fresh tears. "My poor boy! The very
idea! To think that I should live to hear you say it! How gladly I
would have saved you from this had I known in time."

"I am sure you would, Aunt. But the gladness would have been all yours.