you know that?"

He laughed bitterly.

"He told me so; he's another fool."

"Mr. Westerfelt!"

"I beg your pardon," he amended, quickly; "but any man is a fool to be
simply crazy about a woman, and he is."

He saw her raise her little shapely hand to her twitching mouth and
experienced one instant's throbbing desire to catch it and hold it and
beg her to have mercy on him and help him throw off the hellish despair
that rested on him. It was a significant fact that she said nothing to
protract the conversation on the line of Bates's proposal. To her the
proposal and rejection of a king by her would have found no place in
her thoughts, facing the incomprehensible mood of the man she loved.
It was growing dark when they reached the hotel. As he aided her to
alight he gave her his hand. "It's good-bye for a while, anyway," he
said.

She started; her hand was heavy and cold. She caught her breath.
"When are you going, Mr. Westerfelt?"

"In the morning after breakfast, by the hack to Darley."

That was all. She lowered her head and passed into the house. In the
hall she met her mother.

"Great goodness, dear!" exclaimed the old woman; "what on earth did you
run away from him so sudden for?"

Harriet pushed past her into the parlor and stood fumbling with the
buttons of her cloak.

"Answer me, daughter," pursued Mrs. Floyd; "what did--"

"Oh, God! don't bother me, mother," cried Harriet.

Mrs. Floyd held her breath as she drew her daughter down on a sofa and
stared into her face.

"What's the matter, daughter? _Do_ tell me."

"He's going away," said Harriet. "Oh, mother, I don't know what ails
him! I never saw anybody act as he did. He had little to say, and
when he spoke it looked as if he was mad with me. Oh, mother,
sometimes I think he loves me, and then again--"

"He _does_ love you," declared Mrs. Floyd. "I hid behind the curtains
in the parlor and watched him on the sly while he was waiting for you
to come down. I never saw a man show love plainer; he kept looking up
at your window, and his face fairly shone when you come out. You can't
fool me. He's in love, but he's trying to overcome it for--for some
reason or other. High-spirited men do that way, sometimes. Men don't
like to give up their liberty and settle down. But he'll come to time,
you see if he don't."

Harriet stood up and started to the door. "Where are you going?" asked
her mother.

"Up-stairs," sighed Harriet.