had the sense of having found
a rare treasure, worth any sacrifice. She was a little awed by it and
lifted to a plane she had never reached before.

"Of course, I do." She laughed tremulously. "We'll wait six months, to
give you a chance to get ready. Then I'll come to you. We'll start very
small at first and live on what we have, whatever it is. If it's only
seventy-five dollars a month, we'll hold our heads as high as if we had
millions. We'll make the fight together. I used to think I never could
do that. But now I want to. And then when your success comes it will be
partly _mine_."

Her head was lifted in the pretty brave gesture. The glow of a crimson
sunset was about her. In her eyes was the glow of the flame he had
lighted.

If only the spirit of sunset might abide with us always! . . . .

The witch often turns herself into an old cat and plays with us poor mice
before she rends us.

Almost from the beginning of the engagement David's clients increased in
number. During the six months which Shirley had set as the term of their
waiting his income was almost as big as that of the whole year before;
partly because he was taken in by Dick Holden--who had the knack of
getting business--on a commission to which that energetic young cynic
felt himself unequal. The fee thus shared was a substantial one.

"Our love," David wrote to Shirley, "was born under a lucky star. I
believe we are going to have more than we expected. That makes me very
happy--on your account."

Nevertheless, when the six months were at an end, he was not out of debt.

"David, dear," Shirley wrote, when she had been scarce a month gone,
"couldn't you manage to come on for a few days? Maizie thinks I'm crazy,
and I want her to see you and be convinced that I'm not. And I want to
show off my wonderful lover to my friends."

David, nothing loath, went--a night's journey into the West, to a city
where hotels mounted high in the air and rates mounted with them. This
journey became a monthly event. And when they were together, thought of
the exchequer took wings. There were theater parties, at which tired
Maizie was a happy though protestant third. There were boxes of candy
and flowers, seeing which Shirley would cry, "Oh, you extravagant boy!"
in a tone that made David very glad of his extravagance. They loved;
therefore they were rich. What had they to do with caution and economy?

"We can be engaged only once," they sa