Carolyn advanced along the path behind Lawrence, who, for the life of him, could not refrain from hesitating perceptibly before he turned. In the violence of the revulsion he could hardly breathe. What would Carolyn think of him if she saw his face, which he knew must tell her something, and which he was sure would tell the wrong thing? And how odd in him to hesitate. There was Prudence strolling negligently away. Just now she reached a curve in the path. She paused and turned back. She waved her hand. She sang gaily: "Oh, Love has been a villain Since the days of Troy and Helen, When he caused the death of Paris And of many, many more!" "What good spirits Prudence has!" Carolyn exclaimed, as she reached her lover's side. "Yes," he answered; then the eyes of the two met, and the girl drew back somewhat. "Has anything happened?" she asked, in a whisper. "Nothing,--nothing," he returned, and then added, violently, "I thank heaven that it's you who will be my wife,--you, you, Caro, and no one else!" She shrank from him still more, but he caught her hands and insisted upon drawing her nearer. With her head on his shoulder she said, indistinctly: "I hope, oh, I do hope, Rodney, that you are not making a mistake! You're sure, aren't you?" "Sure? A thousand times sure," he replied, eagerly. "And why should we put off our marriage? You haven't any reason." "Yes, I have; a very strong one." "I doubt it; and I shall not consider it." "I want you to be positive, sure beyond question, that you know your own mind." "Ah!" came triumphantly from Lawrence, "then we'll be married to-morrow." From that day the young man was possessed with the resolve that his marriage should not be deferred. And of course he won over Carolyn and her mother. Really, there seemed no need of delay. The two had always known each other; they had sufficient means. So the day was set for the first week in September. Lawrence came and went in the very highest spirits. They were to start on a long journey, going in the Cunard steamer that sailed on the afternoon of the day. "We will be gone two years at least," Lawrence said. "We'll go everywhere and see everything. Nobody will ever be as happy as we will be." And Carolyn was quite sure that no one was ever as happy as she was then. She wrote a long letter to Prudence, who was in Newport with her mother, who had come back from Carlsbad. She told her every detail. There was to be no wedding party, only just the family present; mamma had insisted otherwise, but she and Rodney had overruled her; they would probably never be married again, and they wanted things their own way. Only Prue and her mother must come. And so Prue and her mother came the day before, and were met by Lawrence, who was very thin, with black hollows under very brilliant eyes, and whose manner was full of spirit and gaiety.