I am," laughed Katie.

"Then may I ask, mysterious one, what you're laughing at?"

"Oh I'm laughing at a tumble I once took. 'Twas such a tumble."

"I'd like to tumble to the tumble."

"You would like it. You'd love it."

"I hadn't thought," said the Major, "that when I asked if you meant to
marry Prescott I was classifying with the great humorists of all time."

"And I hadn't thought," she returned, "that when I thought Prescott meant
to marry me I was classifying with the great tumblers of all time!"

Suddenly she stopped laughing. "No, I don't mean to marry Harry, and I
can further state with authority that Harry doesn't mean to marry me."

The laughter went from even her eyes--thinking, perhaps, of whom Harry
did mean to marry.

But she was not going to let herself become grave. If she grew quiet she
would know again about the woe of the world--surging right underneath.
The only way not to know it was underneath was to keep merrily dancing
away in one's place on top of it. She made a curious little gesture of
flicking something from her hand and whistled a romping little tune.

He stood there surveying her. "It wouldn't do at all for you to marry
Prescott, Katie. He's a likeable enough fellow, but with it all something
of a duffer."

"Just what kind of man," asked Katie demurely, "would you say I had
better marry?"

He sat down in a chair nearer her. "Just what kind of man would you like
to marry?"

"How do you know," she asked, still demurely, "that I would like to
marry any?"

"Oh you must have a guide, Katie. You must be guided through this
wicked world."

She bit her lip and turned away when he told her she must have a guide.

But she turned back, and seriously. "Is it a wicked world?"

With that he ventured to pat the hand now lying on the arm of the chair
so near him. "Well you'll never know it, if it is. We'll keep it all from
you, Katie. You're safe."

Katie pulled her hand away petulantly. "If there's anything I don't want
to be," she said, "it's safe."

That seemed to amuse him. "I only meant," he laughed, "safe from the
great outer world."

"Tell me," said Katie, "what's in the great outer world?"

He sat there smiling at her as one would smile at a dear
inquisitive child.

"Have you made many excursions into the great outer world?" she
asked boldly.

"Oh yes," he replied lightly, "I've been something of an explorer. All
men, you know, Katie, are born explorers. Though for th