at last. "You've got me going pretty hard,
I suppose you know. I've had a lot of sweethearts, but I've never been
so much--engrossed before. What are you going to do about it?" He heard
nothing from the blankets. "Are you going to play fair, or is it about
my cue to cut away?"

"I'll play fair. I don't see why you want to go."

"What do you want me around for?--to play with?"

Thea struggled up among the blankets. "I want you for everything. I
don't know whether I'm what people call in love with you or not. In
Moonstone that meant sitting in a hammock with somebody. I don't want to
sit in a hammock with you, but I want to do almost everything else. Oh,
hundreds of things!"

"If I run away, will you go with me?"

"I don't know. I'll have to think about that. Maybe I would." She freed
herself from her wrappings and stood up. "It's not raining so hard now.
Hadn't we better start this minute? It will be night before we get to
Biltmer's."

Fred struck another match. "It's seven. I don't know how much of the
path may be washed away. I don't even know whether I ought to let you
try it without a lantern."

Thea went to the doorway and looked out. "There's nothing else to do.
The sweater and the slicker will keep me dry, and this will be my chance
to find out whether these shoes are really water-tight. They cost a
week's salary." She retreated to the back of the cave. "It's getting
blacker every minute."

Ottenburg took a brandy flask from his coat pocket. "Better have some of
this before we start. Can you take it without water?"

Thea lifted it obediently to her lips. She put on the sweater and Fred
helped her to get the clumsy slicker on over it. He buttoned it and
fastened the high collar. She could feel that his hands were hurried and
clumsy. The coat was too big, and he took off his necktie and belted it
in at the waist. While she tucked her hair more securely under the
rubber hat he stood in front of her, between her and the gray doorway,
without moving.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked carelessly.

"If you are," he spoke quietly, without moving, except to bend his head
forward a little.

Thea laughed and put her hands on his shoulders. "You know how to handle
me, don't you?" she whispered. For the first time, she kissed him
without constraint or embarrassment.

"Thea, Thea, Thea!" Fred whispered her name three times, shaking her a
little as if to waken her. It was too dark to see, but he could feel
tha