speak here in the car, but I am glad I have settled it."

He was taking her consent for granted, and was squeezing her hand until
she said involuntarily, "Oh, Jack, you hurt me!"

Then he dropped it and, stooping, kissed her, saying, "I am answered.
You have called me Jack. You are mine,--my little wife,--the dearest a
man ever had."

He kissed her again, while she whispered, "Oh, Jack, how can you, with
all the people looking on? and it isn't very dark yet."

"There are not many to look on, and they are in front of us, and I don't
care if the whole world sees me," Jack replied, passing his arm around
her and drawing her close to him.

"You must not, right here in the car; besides that, I haven't told you I
would," she said, making an effort to free herself from him, as the
porter began to light the lamps.

He was satisfied with her answer, and kept his arm around her in the
face of the porter, who was too much accustomed to such scenes to pay
any attention to this particular one. He had spotted them as lovers from
the first and was not surprised, but when eleven o'clock came and every
berth was made up except that of Jack, who still sat with Eloise beside
him, loath to let her go, the negro grew uneasy and anxious to finish
his night's work.

"Sir," he said at last to Jack, "'scuse me, but you might move into the
gentlemen's wash-room whiles I make up the berth; it's gwine on toward
mornin'."

In a flash Eloise sprang up, and without a word went to her mother, who
was sleeping quietly, just as she had left her three hours before. A
lurch of the train awoke her, and, kneeling beside her, Eloise said to
her, "Mr. Harcourt has asked me to be his wife. Are you glad?"

"Yes, daughter, very glad. Are we in Florida?" Amy replied.

"Yes, mother, and before long we shall reach your old home and Jakey,"
was Eloise's answer, as she kissed her mother good-night and sought her
own pillow to think of the great happiness which had come to her in Jack
Harcourt's love, and which would compensate for any disappointment there
might be in store for her.

CHAPTER VII

IN THE PALMETTO CLEARING

There were not many guests at the Brock House as the season had not
fully opened, and Jack had no trouble to find rooms for the ladies and
himself. Amy's was in front, looking upon the St. John's, which here
spreads out into Lake Monroe. She had had glimpses of the river from the
railway car, but had not seen it as distinctl