ds for her to speak. He was
standing up on the hearthrug, his ill-proportioned figure thrown into
strong relief by the firelight behind him. At last, as she quite failed
to answer him, he drew a pace nearer to her.

"Don't mind me, Miss Trelevan," he said, in a drawl so exaggerated that
she thought it must be intentional. "Take your time. There's no hurry.
I've always thought it was a bit hard on a woman to expect her to answer
an offer of marriage offhand. Perhaps you'd rather write?"

"No," she said, rather breathlessly. "No!" Then, after a pause, still
more breathlessly: "Won't you sit down?"

He stepped away from her again, to her infinite relief, and sat down a
couple of yards away.

There ensued a most painful silence, during which the battle in the
girl's heart raged fiercely. Then at length she took her resolution in
both hands, and faced him. He was not looking at her. He sat quite
still, and she fancied that his eyes were closed; but when she spoke he
turned his head, and she realised that she had been mistaken.

"I can give you your answer now," she said, making the greatest effort
of her life. "It is--it is--yes."

She rose with the words, almost as if in preparation for headlong
flight. But Dick Kenyon kept his seat. He leaned forward a little, his
blue eyes lifted to her face.

"Your final word, Miss Trelevan?" he asked her, in his cool, easy twang.

She wrung her hands together with an unconscious gesture of despair.

"Yes," she said; and added feverishly: "of course."

"You think you've met the right man?" he pursued, his tone one of gentle
inquiry, as if he were speaking to a child.

She nodded. She was white to the lips.

"Yes," she said again.

He got up then with extreme deliberation.

"Well," he said, a curious smile flickering about his mouth, "that's
about the biggest surprise I've ever had. And I don't mind telling you
so. Sure now that you're not making a mistake?"

She uttered a little laugh that sounded hysterical.

"Oh, don't!" she said. "Don't! I have given you my answer!"

"And I'm to take you seriously?" questioned Kenyon. "Very well. I will.
But you mustn't be frightened."

He stretched out a steady hand, and laid it on her shoulder. She
quivered at his touch, but she did not attempt to resist.

"Don't be scared," he said very gently. "I know I'm as ugly as blazes;
at least, I've been told so, but there's nothing else to alarm you if
you can once get over that."