have promised to marry you," she said simply. It was she who now
seemed bold, and not he.

"I don't see how they could get here in time," he said grudgingly.
"Graham only knows the address of my club, and they don't know there
where I live." He brightened up again. "Very well, my queen," he said,
smiling down at her. "You shall do what you like. Write your letter--let
it be a short one--when you get in, and we will send that and the wire
when we go out to dinner."

They drove to a dingy-looking house in one of the smaller squares of
Bloomsbury. During the short journey he became almost boisterous. All
the misgivings that had assailed her since they had last parted, the
alternate fits of courage and of frightened shrinking, had passed him
by. This was quite plain, and she was right in attributing his mood
partly to his joy in having won her, partly to his love of adventure. It
was an added pleasure to him to surmount obstacles in winning her. If
his wooing had run the ordinary course, the reason for half his
jubilation would have disappeared. She felt his strength, and,
woman-like, relinquished her own doubts and swayed to his mood.

"You have begun your life of adventure, little girl," he said,
imprisoning her slender hand in his great muscular one, and looking down
at her with pride in his eyes. She had an impulse of exhilaration, and
smiled back at him.

The rooms to which he took her, escorted by a middle-aged Scotswoman
with a grim face and a silent tongue, were on the first floor--a big
sitting-room, clean, but, to her eyes, inexpressibly dingy and
ill-furnished, and a bedroom behind folding doors.

"Mrs. Fletcher will give you your breakfast here," he said, "but we will
lunch and dine out. We will go out now and shop when you are ready."

She went into the bedroom and stood by the window. Fright had seized her
again. What was she doing here? The woman who had come from her dark,
downstairs dwelling-place to lead the way to these dreadful rooms, had
given her one glance but spoken no word. What must she think of her? She
could hear her replying in low monosyllables to Mackenzie's loud
instructions, through the folding doors.

Again the assurance and strength and determination which he exhaled came
to her aid. She had taken the great step, and must not shrink from the
consequences. He would look after her. She washed her hands and face--no
hot water had been brought to her--and went back to the sitting-room.