u and the Professor will
be sensible, and let me go to New York and take a job, I could support
us all in luxury. You could write and he could figure."

"I don't see that it is any business of ours what you do, but I
certainly won't let you support me."

"Do you really mean it isn't your business?"

"Why should it be?"

"Well, if I am your wife, and his daughter, some people would think that
it was distantly related to your business."

"Why New York? Why not here?"

"In this town they think I am crazy now. But if I burst out as a
professional dancer----Wow!"

"That's so. It's a mean little town, but it's quiet. That's why I stay.
It's quiet."

"You wouldn't mind my being away, if I went to New York, would you?"

"Oh, no. I'd be busy."

"That's good. I really think you are almost ideal."

"Ideal?"

"As a husband. They are usually so exacting and interfering."

"I've not decided yet to be your husband."

"But you are it."

"Suppose you should fall in love with somebody else?"

"I'm much more apt to fall in love with you."

"Heaven forbid!" he exclaimed, and came to her side quickly. "Bambi,
promise me that no matter what happens you will not do that. You will
not fall in love with me."

She looked at him a minute, and then laughed contagiously.

"I am serious about this. My work is everything to me. Nothing matters
but just that, and it might be a dreadful interruption if you fell in
love with me."

"I don't see why, unless you fell in love with me."

"No danger of that," said he, and at her laugh turned to her again. "If
ever you see any signs of my being such a fool as that, you warn me,
will you?"

"And what will you do then?"

"I'll run away. I will go to the ends of the earth. That particular
madness is death to creative genius."

"All right. I'll warn you."

"I've got to begin to polish my first draft to-day, so I'll go upstairs
and get at it."

"Will you be gone two days this trip?"

He turned to smile at her.

"Some people would think you were eccentric," he said.

"They might," she responded.

"I am almost sane when I polish," he laughed. "It's only when I create
that I am crazy."

"It's all right then, is it? We go on?"

"Go on?"

"Being married?"

"Well, I have no objection, if you insist, but you'd better think over
what I told you. I think you have made a mistake; and you shall never
support me."

"I never think over my mistakes," said Bambi. "I just live up t