They always had been fond of their Aunt Carolina, but now their comments on her beauty were quite embarrassing. As Kate sprang from the steps, a close observer might have seen a telegraphic question flash from Carolina’s eyes to hers and a quick negative flash back. No one but a woman would have known what it signified. Still Carolina seemed satisfied with Kate’s radiant aspect. Judge Fanshaw Lee was pompous but plainly delighted, and ready to be pleased with everything. Carolina was keen to see what he would think of her daring, for he had promptly wet-blanketed her every effort to assist him in any way. But she could see that he was impressed with the appearance of her automobiles, and she fairly ached to have him see Guildford. To achieve this end, she gave personal instructions to each chauffeur and driver to go by roads which would enable her, even in the Barnwells’ carryall, to arrive at Guildford first. "You aren’t going in that thing?" cried Kate. "There’s plenty of room here." "I’m going in it to accept the hospitality of a dear neighbour," said Carolina. Kate and Noel were seated in a little electric runabout. As they started ahead, Kate turned to Noel and said: "Somehow, I can’t listen to anything Carolina says lately without knowing that the bridge of my nose is going to ache before she turns me loose." "She certainly is the most angelic creature!" said Noel. Kate looked at him out of the tail of her eye. "Do you like angels?" "I do, indeed." A pause. "But I could never fall in love with one." "Oh!" said Kate. Noel cleared his throat once or twice, as if trying to say something. Finally he said: "Kate, won’t you be hurt if I say an indiscreet thing?" "Certainly not. You know you can say anything you like to me. I’m not a fool." "Well, here goes, then. I’ve been noticing lately that you don’t stammer any more. Are you being treated for it?" "No," cried Kate, plainly delighted. "I am treating myself." "Then, don’t!" cried Noel. "Kate, I can’t bear it. Yours was the most attractive, the dearest little mannerism--not a bit disagreeable. Your speech, so far from being marred by it, was only made distinctive. I--I feel as if I had lost my Kate!" His voice sank with unmistakable tenderness at the last words, and Kate stiffened herself, as if prepared for a plunge into ice-water. Finally she caught her breath sufficiently to say, awkwardly: "If you care, Noel, of course I w-won’t." "If I care!" cried St. Quentin. "Do I care about anything or anybody else in all this world except Kate Howard? Don’t talk as if you didn’t know it." "K-know it!" cried Kate, stammering quite honestly. "Indeed," as she told Carolina later, "after that, I’d have stammered if I’d been cured of it fifty times over. A proposal is enough to make any woman stammer!" "Indeed, and I didn’t. I th-thought you were in love with C-Carolina."