claimed in admiration, even while she struck him
as fairly hurrying him off.

But she was almost impatient of the praise.
"What do you expect one not to understand when
one cares for you?"

"Ah then, I ll put it otherwise and say How
much you care for me!

Yes," she assented; " it fairly redeems my stu
pidity. I shall, with a chance to show it," she added,
"have some imagination for you."

She spoke of the future this time as so little
contingent, that he felt a queerness of conscience
in making her the report that he presently ar
rived at on what had passed for him with the real
arbiter of their destiny. The way for that had been
blocked a little by his news from Fleet Street; but
in the crucible of their happy discussion this element
soon melted into the other, and in the mixture that
ensued the parts were not to be distinguished. The
young man moreover, before taking his leave, was
to see why Kate had just spoken of the future as
if they now really possessed it, and was to come to
the vision by a devious way that deepened the final
cheer. Their faces were turned to the illumined
quarter as soon as he had answered her question in
respect to the appearance of their being able to
play a waiting game with success. It was for the
possibility of that appearance that she had, a few
days before, so earnestly pressed him to see her
aunt; and if after his hour with that lady it hac

[[98]]

p097 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p098w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p099

v?