She bent her head close to his: “What do you mean by ‘_things unattempted_’?” “Milton’s line, Eris, not mine.... ‘_Things unattempted._’... And latent in you.... Not within _me_ ... unless you give them.” Her grey eyes said: “If they truly are in me you have only to take.” Her lips tenderly denied such possession, attributing all origin to him. The boy said: “God knows where it comes from; but it is in me only when you are near.” She rested her cool cheek against his. Her career was paid for. “One thing,” he said with an embarrassed grin, “is likely to annoy you. But I’ve got to show it to you. You haven’t seen to-day’s papers, have you?” “No.... Oh, _Barry_!----” “You bet, sweetheart. It’s the announcement of our engagement.” “Darling! How wonderful! And what do you mean by my being annoyed? I authorised you to announce it any time in May it suited you.” “That’s it,” he admitted. “_I_ was to send the announcement to the papers. But I didn’t know how such things were done so I was ass enough to go to my Aunt about it.” Eris flushed. “Was Mrs. Grandcourt annoyed?” “I’ll tell you what happened. I knew she had just arrived from Bermuda, and I went yesterday afternoon. Well--my aunt is my aunt. We don’t get on. “We went through our semi-yearly financial pow-wow. That’s all fixed for the next six months. “Then she gave me an opening by asking, suspiciously, whether I knew where you were.... Did you know she once warned me to keep away from you?” The colour in Eris’ face deepened: “No, I didn’t know that.” “The reason,” he said airily, “was because she liked and respected you, and considered me a philanderer----” “Barry!” “I _was_.” There ensued a painful pause. Then their eyes met; and he reddened and said in a low voice: “I haven’t anything to ask your pardon for--even mentally.” They both were trembling a little when they kissed. “--About my aunt,” he resumed, the faint grin again apparent; “when she mentioned you I said, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m marrying Eris in June. I meant to mention it----’ “Dearest, the extraordinary face my aunt made at me stopped me. “I think she was too astounded to understand whether she was pleased or not. You see she had got me all wrong, dear. I wasn’t the sort she believed. “One thing was rather extraordinary. Did you suppose my aunt could swear? Well, she can. She swore at me for ten minutes, threatening dire things if I philandered with the granddaughter of Jeanne d’Espremont----” “Barry!” “Well, she did. And when finally it filtered through her skull that I was semi-decent, she became very much excited.... You’ve got to have a very grand church wedding, Eris. Do you mind?” “Darling! I’d adore it!” “Well, for heaven’s sake--Well, I’m glad you feel that way. Men usually don’t, you know.... But it’s all right----” “Oh, Barry!” she said in ecstasy, clasping her white hands as unconscious of dramatic effect as when she pleaded with Mr. Quiss on Whitewater Brook.