Stranded in Arcady Part 25

"No, Donald--a thousand times no!" she flashed out. "Do you think I don't know that this is only another way of telling me how sorry you are for me? You know well enough what people will say when they hear how we have been together for a whole month, alone; and in your splendid chivalry you would----"

He did not let her finish. The hotel parlor was supposed to be a public room, but he ignored that and took her in his arms.

"From the first day, Lucetta, dear--from the very first day!" he argued pa.s.sionately. "And it grew and grew with your absolute, your simply angelic trust in me until I was half-mad with the desire to tell you.

But I couldn't tell you then; I couldn't even let you suspect and still be what you were believing me to be. Don't you think you could learn, in time, you know, to--to----"

Her face was hidden, but she made her refusal quite positive.

"No, Donald, I can never learn it--again. Because, you see, in spite of the other girl I was believing in--that you made me believe in--I--Oh, it was wicked, _wicked_!--but I couldn't help it! And all the time I was sc-scared perfectly frantic for fear you would find it out!"

"You were, were you?" he laughed happily. "Perhaps I did find it out--just a little...."

It was something like an hour later, and an overruling Providence had graciously preserved the privacy of the public parlor for them during the entire length of the precious interval, when Prime looked at his watch and said: "Heavens, Lucetta! it's nearly noon! Let's go quickly and beard the Sh.e.l.laby in his den before he goes to luncheon. The fairy fortune may escape us yet if we don't hurry up and nab it."

She had risen with him, and her eyes were s.h.i.+ning when she lifted her face and let him see them.

"As if the money, or anything else in this world, could make any difference to either of us now, Donald, dear!" she protested, with a fine scorn of such inconsequent things as fairy fortunes.

And Prime, seeing the unashamed love in the s.h.i.+ning eyes, joyously agreed with her.

The End