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have never been legally responsible for you. It was a debt of honor, if you like, which I discharged because your father at one time was also good to me.”
    There was complete silence between them for a moment, and then he said rather abruptly:
    “And now I am asking you to marry me!”
    “Why?” she got out, in a fluttering whisper.
    There was a touch of compassion in his look this time.
    “Because, my child, otherwise you will have to support yourself by the sweat of your brow—or by tapping a typewriter, or something of the sort—and I don’ t think you are quite fitted for that sort of thing just yet. Although I have no doubt in time you could do so with ease.”
    “You mean,” she asked painfully, “that I have no money?”
    “None at all,” he informed her. “And, as a matter of fact, you never had.”
    She tried to realize all he meant by that.
    “Then you—you paid my school fees—you paid for me at Selbourne? And for my clothes, and—and everything—?”
    “It wasn’t such a tremendous expenditure,” he assured her carelessly. “And don’t forget,” he added, deliberately teasing her, “that you had very little pocket-money! ”
    She colored quite brilliantly.
    “Oh, why did I say that?” It was almost a wail of despair. “If only I had known! ”
    “But you didn’t,” he remarked calmly. “And neither did Miss Hardcastle. She always understood I was your legitimate guardian, otherwise I am quite sure she would never have allowed you to come away from Selbourne with me without going very thoroughly into the correctness of the proceedings. At one time, I’ ll admit, I intended to take her into my confidence, and ask her advice about your future. But when I arrived at the Abbey and found you waiting for me on the steps, complete with all your luggage, I hadn’ t the heart to disappoint the hopes you had so plainly built up.”
    “Oh,” she exclaimed, cheeks positively flaming, “how I must have embarrassed you! ”
    “Not at all,” he answered coolly. “I am not easily embarrassed.” And then with a little smile: “But how do you react to the idea of marrying me?”
    She tried not to look as if she was straggling with a welter of bewildered thoughts and new and disconcerting revelations, and he watched her across the table without any particular sympathy in his eyes, but with his eyebrow cocked upwards in that questioning manner she was getting to know so well. He extracted a cigarette from his case and lighted it, and through the haze of smoke he still watched her and her fair, revealing, ridiculously youthful face.
    “Well?” he asked, at last.
    “Why do you want to marry me?” she got out, in a little rush. “I don’ t know that I’ ve even told you that I do want to marry
    you,” he could not resist answering; “but I think it’s an excellent notion,” with as much coolness and composure as if she had asked him why he had taken her out to supper. “Since I am not your official guardian there doesn’t appear to be any obstacle—if that could represent an obstacle—and it will simplify the business of keeping an eye on you and making sure that there is some kind of security about your future. In addition to which I shall be ensuring myself a more permanent housekeeper than Meg, who might take it into her own head to get married one day. ”
    Carol was unable to appreciate this flash of deliberate humor on his part, and she said almost reprovingly:
    “You know she is not likely to do that,” as if she had been privately assured of the improbability of such an event.
    “Well, perhaps not, but you never know.”
    “And you look upon me as a—as a schoolgirl! ” with unexpected shrewdness.
    “Do I? Well, if I do, you won’ t always remain one, will you? And at least you are not still at school! ”
    “No,” she agreed, and studied him every bit as closely as he was studying her.
    Their eyes met and continued to meet across the table—his with a faint