, and he wanted what touched her to be from him. She
was surprised by a cumbrous package which, opened, revealed great
things for a woman's dalliance with water--the soft Turkish towel, vast
enough to envelop her, the perfumed soaps, and even the bath-mittens.
And she was a little frightened, maybe, at the personality of it all,
but she recognized the nature of his fancy, and but loved him the more
because he had it. It was an odd gift, it is true, but they were odd
people. They were very close together.

An eventful day in other respects, that is, from a lover's point of
view, was this one of the outing by the lake. The stocking dried, and
in its proper place upon the foot, and inside the shoe again, and the
lunch dispatched, there was more idle rambling by the lakeside, and, of
course, more lovers' talk. At one place there was a little wood which
extended to the water's edge, and there she perched herself in a seat
formed by the bent limb of an upturned tree, and he produced from his
coat-pocket a paper of macaroons for her dessert, and she sat there
munching them like a monkey, while he sprawled, again upon the sand.
She made a pretty picture, this small, brown woman, thus exalted; to
him a wonderful one. Suddenly she ceased her munching and spoke to him
imperiously:

"Come here, sir."

He rose and went to her, standing before her, obedient and waiting.
She reached up and took his face between her hands, and pulled his face
gently downward until the faces of the two were close together. She
looked into his eyes.

"I merely called you up, sir," she said, "to impart a certain piece of
information. I am in love with you."

CHAPTER XXII.

TWO FOOLS STILL.

When a woman, who is all there is in the world to a man, falls into the
deliciously generous mood of abandonment, and is revealing what is in
her heart, the man, I understand from various excellent authorities,
gets about as near heaven as he may ever do in the flesh. And Harlson
formed no exception to the rule. The small personage on the limb of
the fallen tree owned him as absolutely and completely as ever
Cleopatra owned a slave, or Elizabeth a servitor.

"I don't know what to say," he murmured. "There aren't any
words--but--you understand."

She pulled his face still closer and kissed him on the lips, though
blushing as she did so, for this young woman had fancies regarding lips
and regarding kisses which should be entertained by a grea