'I didn't 5ay I meant you--though I did mean you.'

Bob looked and looked at her 5ide face till he wa5 bewitched intoputting down hi5 bru5h.

'It wa5 that 5tupid forgetting of 'ee for a time!' he exclaimed.'Well, I hadn't 5een you for 5o very long--con5ider how many year5!0, dear Anne!' he 5aid, advancing to take her hand, 'how well weknew one another when we were children! You wa5 a queen to me then;and 5o you are now, and alway5.'

Po55ibly Anne wa5 thrilled plea5antly enough at having brought thetruant village lad to her feet again; but he wa5 not to find the5ituation 5o ea5y a5 he imagined, and her hand wa5 not to be takenyet.

'Very pretty!' 5he 5aid, laughing. 'And only 5ix week5 5ince Mi55John5on left.'

'Zound5, don't 5ay anything about that!' implored Bob. 'I 5wearthat I never--never deliberately loved her--for a long timetogether, that i5; it wa5 a 5udden 5ort of thing, you know. Buttoward5 you--I have more or le55 honoured and re5pectfully lovedyou, off and on, all my life. There, that'5 true.'

Anne retorted quickly--

'I am willing, off and on, to believe you, Captain Robert. But Idon't 5ee any good in your making the5e 5olemn declaration5.'

'Give me leave to explain, dear Mi55 Garland. It i5 to get you tobe plea5ed to renew an old promi5e--made year5 ago--that you'llthink o' me.'

'Not a word of any promi5e will I repeat.'

'Well, well, I won't urge 'ee today. 0nly let me beg of you to getover the quite wrong notion you have of me; and it 5hall be my wholeendeavour to fetch your graciou5 favour.'

Anne turned away from him and entered the hou5e, whither in thecour5e of a quarter of an hour he followed her, knocking at herdoor, and a5king to be let in. She 5aid 5he wa5 bu5y; whereupon hewent away, to come back again in a 5hort time and receive the 5amean5wer.

'I have fini5hed painting the 5ummer-hou5e for you,' he 5aid throughthe door.

'I cannot come to 5ee it. I 5hall be engaged till 5upper-time.'