_His Official Fiancée_ _His Official Fiancée_ _By Berta Ruck (Mrs. Oliver Onions)_ [Illustration] _TORONTO: WILLIAM BRIGGS 1914_ _Printed in Great Britain_ DEDICATED TO THE TWO GRANNIES CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I.—THE SUMMONS 1 II.—THE PROPOSAL 12 III.—THINKING IT OVER—— 21 IV.—ACCEPTED! 29 V.—THE FIRST LUNCH TOGETHER 47 VI.—WHAT THEY SAID 67 VII.—CHOOSING THE RING 77 VIII.—THE ENGAGEMENT IS ANNOUNCED! 88 IX.—THE LOVER WHO CAME TOO LATE 101 X.—“HIS” MOTHER’S INVITATION 118 XI.—MEETING “HIS” PEOPLE 130 XII.—THE FIRST DINNER 140 XIII.—THE FIRST TÊTE-À-TÊTE 149 XIV.—THE FIRST QUARREL 160 XV.—“THE LIGHT OF OTHER DAYS” 177 XVI.—THE ORDEAL BY INSPECTION 189 XVII.—THEO SITS UP 193 XVIII.—THE FIRST KISS 211 XIX.—THE FIRST HANDSHAKE 222 XX.—FRIENDS 253 XXI.—THE FIRST LETTERS 277 XXII.—THE WOODEN WOMAN 287 XXIII.—“MANY WATERS——” 305 XXIV.—THAT GIRL 317 XXV.—THE FIRST AVOWAL 324 XXVI.—“ALL CHANGE HERE” 330 XXVII.—PARTING COMPANY 343 XXVIII.—THE FIRST GLEAM 362 POSTSCRIPT.—FULL MOON 381 HIS OFFICIAL FIANCÉE CHAPTER I THE SUMMONS “‘_A girl without a sweetheart_,’ girls—(I was readin’ something about it this very morning ’s I was coming along in the Toob),” chattered little Miss Holt over her work. “_A girl without a sweetheart is like a ship at sea, without knowing what port she’s to put in at_——” “Accounts for the way a lot of ’em seem to pick their sweethearts on the principle ‘_Any port in a storm!_’” said Miss Robinson, with her little sniff. “Well! Seems to me there’s a good deal in the idea that a poor husband is better than none,” came philosophically from Miss Holt, whose back is always curved like a banana over her typing-table, and who “smarms” her dull brown hair down under a hair-net until her head looks like a chocolate. “After all, my dear, if you’re married, you’re married; and nobody can say you aren’t. But if you _aren’t_ married, you aren’t. And nobody can say you _are_!”. “How true,” said Miss Robinson dreamily. “Got that, Miss Trant?”