pression of that whirling moment. She saw
his hesitation.

"Of course, if you don't want us, Peter--"

Peter found his voice promptly. Only his God knew how much he wanted
Linda, but there were conditions that a man of Peter's soul-fiber
could not endure. More than life he wanted her, but he did not want
her asleep. He did not want to risk her awakening to a spoiled life and
disappointed hopes.

"But you remember that I told you coming home from San Francisco that
you knew the Lady of my Iris better than anyone else, and that I was
planning to take Katy, not from you, but with you."

"Of course I remember," said Linda. "That is why when Marian and Eileen
and Donald and all my world went past and left me standing desolate, and
my work piled up until I couldn't see my way, I just started right out
to ask you if you would help me with the proof. Of course I knew you
would be glad to do that and I thought if you really meant in your
heart that I was the one to complete your iris procession, it would be a
comfort to me during the hard work and the lonesome days to have it put
in two-syllable English. Marian said that was the only real way--"

"And Marian is eminently correct. You will have to give me an ordinary
lifetime, Linda, in which to try to make you understand exactly what
this means to me. Perhaps I'll even have to invent new words in which to
express myself."

"Oh, that's all right," said Linda. "It means a lot to me too. I can't
tell you how much I think of you. That first day, as soon as I put down
the Cotyledon safely and tucked in my blouse, I would have put my hand
in yours and started around the world, if you had asked me to. I have
the very highest esteem for you, Peter."

"Esteem, yes," said Peter slowly. "But Linda-girl, isn't the sort of
alliance I am asking you to enter with me usually based on something a
good bit stronger than 'esteem'?"

"Yes, I think it is," said Linda. "But you needn't worry. I only wanted
the comfort of knowing that I was not utterly alone again, save for
Katy. I'll stick to my book and to my fight for Senior honors all
right."

Peter was blinking his eyes and fighting to breathe evenly. When he
could speak he said as smoothly as possible: "Of course, Linda. I'll
do your proof for you and you may put all your time on class honors.
It merely occurred to me to wonder whether you realized the full and
ultimate significance of what we are saying; exactly what it means to me