e!"

Jim laughed loudly at this. He was used to Carol, and enjoyed her
little outbursts. "I can't think what on earth made you imagine I'd want
to propose to you," he said, shaking his head as though appalled at the
idea.

Carol's eyes twinkled at that, but she did not permit him to see it.
"Why shouldn't I think so? Didn't you get a new gray suit? And haven't I
the best complexion in Mount Mark? Don't all the men want to propose to
a complexion like mine?"

"Shows their bum taste," he muttered.

Carol twinkled again. "Of course," she agreed, "all men have bum taste,
if it comes to that."

He laughed again, then he sobered. "Do you think Lark will--"

"I think Lark will turn you down," said Carol promptly, "and I hope she
does. You aren't good enough for her. No one in the world is good enough
for Lark except myself. If she should accept you--I don't think she
will, but if she has a mental aberration and does--I'll give you my
blessing, and come and live with you six months in the year, and Lark
shall come and live with me the other six months, and you can run the
farm and send us an allowance. But I don't think she'll have you; I'll
be disappointed in her if she does."

Carol was silent a moment then. She was remembering many things,--Lark's
grave face that day in the parsonage when they had discussed the love of
Jim, her unwonted gentleness and her quiet manners during this visit,
and one night when Carol, suddenly awakening, had found her weeping
bitterly into her pillow. Lark had said it was a headache, and was
better now, and Carol had gone to sleep again, but she remembered now
that Lark never had headaches! And she remembered how very often lately
Lark had put her arms around her shoulders and looked searchingly into
her face, and Lark was always wistful, too, of late! She sighed. Yes,
she caught on at last, "had been pushed on to it," she thought angrily.
She had been a wicked, blind, hateful little simpleton or she would have
seen it long ago. But she said nothing of this to Jim.

"You'd better run along then, and switch your proposal over to her, or
I'm likely to accept you on my own account, just for a joke. And be
sure and tell her I'm good and sore that I didn't get a chance to use
my flowery rejection. But I'm almost sure she'll turn you down."

Then Carol stood in the path, and watched Jim as he leaped lightly over
fences and ran through the sweet meadow. She saw Lark spring to her feet
and ste