Why, you can't marry me--a common servant girl."

"I can and I will, if you'll have me," answered Winslow recklessly. "I
can't ever let you go. I've loved you ever since I first saw you.
Nelly, won't you be my wife? Don't you love me?"

"Well, yes, I do," confessed Nelly suddenly; and then it was fully
five minutes before Winslow gave her a chance to say anything else.

"Oh, what will your people say?" she contrived to ask at last. "Won't
they be in a dreadful state? Oh, it will never do for you to marry
me."

"Won't it?" said Winslow in a tone of satisfaction. "I rather think it
will. Of course, my family will rampage a bit at first. I daresay
Father'll turn me out. Don't worry over that, Nelly. I'm not afraid of
work. I'm not afraid of anything except losing you."

"You'll have to see what Dad says," remarked Nelly, after another
eloquent interlude.

"He won't object, will he? I'll write to him or go and see him. Where
is he?"

"He is in town at the Arlington."

"The Arlington!" Winslow was amazed. The Arlington was the most
exclusive and expensive hotel in town.

"What is he doing there?"

"Transacting a real estate or railroad deal with your father, I
believe, or something of that sort."

"Nelly!"

"Well?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I say."

Winslow got up and looked at her.

"Nelly, who are you?"

"Helen Ray Scott, at your service, sir."

"Not Helen Ray Scott, the daughter of the railroad king?"

"The same. Are you sorry that you're engaged to her? If you are,
she'll stay Nelly Ray."

Winslow dropped back on the seat with a long breath.

"Nelly, I don't understand. Why did you deceive me? I feel stunned."

"Oh, do forgive me," she said merrily. "I shouldn't have, I
suppose--but you know you took me for the hired girl the very first
time you saw me, and you patronized me and called me Nelly; so I let
you think so just for fun. I never thought it would come to this. When
Father and I came north I took a fancy to come here and stay with Mrs.
Pennington--who is an old nurse of mine--until Father decided where to
take up our abode. I got here the night before we met. My trunk was
delayed so I put on an old cotton dress her niece had left here--and
you came and saw me. I made Mrs. Pennington keep the secret--she
thought it great fun; and I really was a great hand to do little
chores and keep the cats in subjection too. I made mistakes in grammar
and dropped my g's on purpose--it was s