"Come," said Farnsworth, still with that glad, exultant note of triumph
in his voice. He led her to the house, walking quickly and with
springing step.

Adele was in the hall as they entered.

"Good heavens!" she said, helplessly, as she stared at them.

"Adele," Farnsworth's words fairly rang out, "don't stop us. We're
just getting engaged, and we want a few minutes alone."

"I should say so!" and half dazed at the suddenness of the news, Adele
opened the door of a little reception room, and let them in. Then she
closed it, and ran hot haste to find Jim.

A wood fire was blazing and Patty threw off the silk wrap.

"Apple Blossom," said Farnsworth, as he took it from her, and tossed it
over a sofa, "my Blossom girl!"

He took the soft, trembling little figure in his arms, the pretty white
frock sadly crushed in his strong embrace.

"My Love, my Patty Blossom!" he murmured, and then, with his first kiss
on her quivering, scarlet lips, Patty knew that she "cared for" this
big, tender giant, with her whole heart, and she began to realise how
he loved her.

"Patty! darling! I have loved you so long, but I had no idea what it
would mean to know you love me!"

"What does it mean?" she said, softly.

"It means heaven! Great, blue, sunshiny, cloudless heaven! Oh, my
little girl, I can't tell you all it means, there aren't any words big
enough. You do love me, don't you? How do you know you do?"

"Because I jumped," and the blue eyes smiled at him. "I jumped because
I couldn't help it."

"You jumped because you loved me! I oughtn't to have let you do it;
good gracious, Patty, you might have broken yourself to bits! I spoke
from impulse."

"And I jumped from impulse. And,--I'm glad I did!"

"You little Love! Are you? Patty, how can you love a great, uncouth
man like me?"

"You're not uncouth, Little Billee, and you only said that to be
contradicted! But I do contradict it. You're not big and uncouth at
all. Well, I s'pose you _are_ big,--but it's a nice, cunning little
bigness----"

"There, there, that'll be about all of that! Now, tell me why you ran
away from me."

"I didn't know at the time. But I know now."

"You do? Why, then?

"Because I was in love with you, and I was afraid you'd find it out."

"But you didn't know it yourself?"

"N--no; that is, I wouldn't own up to it to myself, and I was awfully
afraid myself would find it out."

"You little goose----"

"Blossom g