With his slow habit of thinking Hardwick had to revolve this speech in his mind before replying. Alice, with an impish look of mischief on her face, laughed also to prevent his answering. "I am taking you into deep water and you will be drowned," she said lightly, "suppose you begin your picture." "No," said the man soberly. "I don't feel like painting the picture. I don't believe I ever could," and he looked at the fading glories of sea and land regretfully. "Next time you are born you will be a genius," said Miss Enistor cheerfully, "as you are building up in this life the brain required by a master-painter. Meantime I wish you to be my friend." "Well, it is hard to decline from love to friendship, but----" "No 'buts.' Friendship is love from another point of view." "Not my point of view." Alice raised an admonitory finger. "You mustn't be selfish," she said severely. "Selfish? I? How can I be?" "By wishing me to give for your gratification what I cannot give for my own. I cannot love you as you desire, because there is not that spiritual link between us which means true love. Therefore to make me happy, if you really love me, you should be prepared to sacrifice yourself to the lower feeling of friendship." "That is too high for me," murmured Hardwick despondingly, "but I see that you won't have me as your husband." "Certainly not. I want a man to love me, not to pity me." "It isn't exactly pity." "Yes it is," she insisted, "you are sorry for me because I live in a dull house with a neglectful father. It is very nice of you to think so, and it is still nicer to think that you are willing to help me by tying yourself to a woman you do not really love. But I can't accept that sacrifice. You must be my friend, Julian--my true honest friend." Hardwick glanced into her deep blue eyes, and unintelligent as he was in such subtle matters read his answer therein. "I shall do my best," he said with a deep sigh; "but you must give me time to cool down from passion to friendship. I want you to be my wife, and like all women you offer to be a sister to me." "Or I will be your cousin if the relation will suit you better," said the girl, laughing outright at his rueful looks. Julian took offence. "You don't pity me?" "Not at all, since your feeling is not one of genuine love," was the cool response. "I would if it were." "One would think you were a hardened woman of the world to hear you speak in this way." "Perhaps I was a woman of the world in my last incarnation, Julian. I seem to have brought over a great deal of common sense to this life. You are a dear, sweet, placid thing, but although you have seen more of human nature and worldly existence this time than I have, you don't know half so much." "Alice, you are conceited." "Ah, that speech shows you are yet heart-whole, Julian. If you were really in love you would never dare to speak so to your divinity." "Well, I daresay I shall get over it. But it's hard on a fellow."