"Carolina!" cried Noel. "Carolina! Well, you are blind! As if she would ever look at me, in the first place--" "Oh, so that was your reason," interrupted Kate. "And in the second place," pursued Noel, calmly ignoring the interruption, "she is in love with--" "With whom?" exploded Kate, gripping his arm. "Why, with La Grange! Did you never notice them together last spring, and then the way she speaks of him?" Kate let her own love-affair slip from her mind, while she thought rapidly for a few minutes. "I believe you are right," she said, slowly, "but I can tell you something more. They are not engaged. Something is separating them." "I think so, too. Possibly Carolina is holding off. I’ve noticed that girls have a way of doing that." Kate’s face crimsoned. She afterward told Carolina that, if Noel had caught her laughing, he would have known all. But her obstinate silence left it to Noel to continue. "Kate," he said, finally, "when you get through playing with me, will you begin to take me seriously? I’m tired of your game. Now don’t pretend that you haven’t been baiting me." "Honestly, Carolina," said Kate, afterward, "I’m telling you this j-just so you’ll know how d-dog funny the whole thing was. Here I’ve nearly had nervous prostration for a year, wondering if he ever _would_ propose, and then he went and accused me of playing a game to hold him off! Aren’t men fools?" "I--I thought when you g-got good and ready, y-you’d speak your mind," said Kate to Noel. "I c-couldn’t go down on my knees and b-beg you to name the day, could I?" "Do you mean to tell me," said St. Quentin, "that you will accept me,--that you will marry me, Kate?" "T-that’s just what my p-poor, feeble speech is t-trying to g-get through your th-thick head," said Kate. But Noel refused to be amused. He reached for Kate’s hand, and, in spite of Kate’s impertinence, if he had looked, he would have seen tears in her eyes. CHAPTER XXV. BOB FITZHUGH Even Carolina was satisfied with the expression on Judge Fanshaw Lee’s face when he was whirled up the great avenue of live-oaks, and the new Guildford burst upon his view. He had snow-white hair, a pale olive complexion, and piercing black eyes. His eyebrows were still black, and he had a ferocious way of working them back and forth very rapidly when he was moved. This was one sign by which Carolina could tell; another was that the unusual colour came into his face. Even before the guests had been to see their own rooms, Carolina was implored to lead the way and let them explore Guildford. This she was as eager to do as a young bride, and yet, in spite of her natural pride in her achievement, her modesty was so sincere and delightful that Judge Lee and Mr. Howard were obliged to ply her with questions.