magination as her
spirited independence of him (in mamma's vocabulary, her flare-up). A
man who held himself naturally high, he had been irresistibly magnetized
by her repulses of him. Rebuffed, he had sworn to go near her no more,
and had turned again, an astonishment to himself, and tamely rung
her bell....

Canning looked and looked at Carlisle across the little table, and it
was as if more miracles went on within him. Not inexperienced with the
snarers, he had learned wariness; and now, by some white magic, wariness
seemed not worth bothering for. If marriage was to come in question, his
dispassionate judgment could name women clearly more suitable; but now
dispassionateness was a professor's mean thumb-rule, too far below to
consider. Of a sudden, as he watched her loveliness, all his instincts
clamored that here and now was his worthy bride: one, too, still
perilously not broken to his bit. But ... Was it, after all, possible?
Was it conceivable that this unknown small-capitalist's daughter, rated
so carelessly only the other day, was the destined partner of his high
estate?...

"I can't bear to think of your going to-night," he exclaimed suddenly,
with almost boyish eagerness. "You know this town is home to me. I can't
explain how perfect it seems to be here with you."

She mentioned demurely her hope of his return to the Payne Fort in a
month or so: a remark which he seemed to find quite unworthy of notice.

"Stay over till to-morrow, Carlisle! Let's do that! And we'll take the
day train down together."

"Goodness! With my tickets all bought? And my trunks packed since
morning?"

Canning glanced hurriedly at his watch. "I can arrange about the
tickets in three minutes. As for the trunks, Mrs. Willing's maid will be
only too glad to unpack them for you. Do--do stay."

She laughed at his eagerness, though at it her heart seemed to swell a
little.

"And if they've already gone to the station?"

"I can put my hand on ten men who will drive like the devil to bring
them back."

"And if my mother confidently expects me for breakfast to-morrow?"

"I will write the telegram to her myself." He added: "Ah, you can't
refuse me!"

Cally said: "I'm afraid you are one of the terrible masterful men that
we read about, Mr. Canning. But--perhaps that's why I shall be glad
to stay."

He thanked her with some unsteadiness, and said: "Where shall we
dine?... And we could be excused from dressing, couldn't we? I can