Jack was never accorded an invitation. On these
occasions, the lovers would play at being ordinary friends but with poor
success. Honor would avoid meeting the doctor's eyes, while the doctor's
eyes were unable to stray long from contemplation of her engaging face
which had never looked so lovable and full of charm.

With a quickened intuition, Tommy realised that his own sun had set, and
he went about his business, a very subdued being; one who had lost all
interest in his occupations and who was finding very little in life
worth living for.

When Honor was alone with Dalton, they would discuss the future, and
plan their Elysium together. He was engaged in making arrangements for
taking up a practice in Melbourne, where a colleague, formerly his
senior, had retired and was eager for his young brains in partnership.
When everything was settled, her parents were to be told, after which
they would be quietly married at the Mission, and leave for Australia.
"You will not mind such a hole-and-corner sort of wedding?" he asked
anxiously.

"What does it matter, so long as we are married?" she replied. "I have
always hated a big, ostentatious wedding."

"I should loathe it!" he said strongly. "And what about Australia?"

"Anywhere with you--even if it is to the South Pole!"

Dalton kissed her to express his delight in her thoroughness. "How glad
I shall be when I have you all to myself!--I shall spend every day of my
life in proving to you how much I value your love, and you shall give
this poor devil a chance to take up his life again. Honey!--sometimes I
am sleepless with fears. It seems to me too good to be true. I am
overcome with dread lest I should never carry it through! Something will
be sure to happen to stop it. If so, I am done for! It will be the end
of me!" He looked as if haunted with forebodings of evil.

Honor enfolded him in her embrace. Her tender arms clung about his neck
and she kissed him tenderly in her desire to bring him comfort. "Why
should anything happen to interfere? God knows how much we care, and He
will be merciful." She fancied he alluded to sudden death.

"Ah! yes. Your God to whom you pray for safety every night of your life,
may see fit to save you from such as I. I'm not good enough to take you,
Honey; that's straight."

"You shall not say that," she protested laying her soft palm across his
mouth. "Who is good in this world? Not I, by any means! So we are a pair
in need of protec