“Then let’s get married, and go off by ourselves? Darling, if we only could! And I’ll go into the Buns, in a minute, if you say so. Much as I hate to give up my own work, I’d not hesitate, except for your sake——” “No, I don’t want to marry a bakery man! And, I’ve too much ambition for you to let you throw your talent away! Yet, we couldn’t live on nothing a year! And, until your inventions are farther along, you can’t realize anything on them.” “Bless me, what a little business woman it is! Well, we’ve both common sense enough not to make fools of ourselves,—but oh, Dork, I do want you so! And if it were not for that foolish, ridiculous feud, we could be so happy!” “It isn’t exactly the feud,—I mean, of course it is that, but it’s back of that,—it’s the determined, never-give-up _natures_ of the two women. I don’t know which is more obstinate, mother or Miss Prall, but I know,—oh, Ricky, I know neither of them will ever surrender!” “Of course they won’t,—I know that, too. So, must we give up?” “What choice have we? What alternative?” “None.” Bates’ face was blankly hopeless. “But, Dork, dear, I can’t live without you! Can’t you look ahead to—to something?” “Don’t see anything to look ahead to. We might say we’ll wait for each other,—I’m willing,—and something tells me you are! But,—that’s an unsatisfactory arrangement——” “It’s all of that! Oh, hang it all, Dork, I’ll go into some respectable business and earn a living. I’ll give up my plans and——” “If you do that, you may as well go in for Buns.” “Buns! I thought you scorned the idea!” “Principally because I want you to be an inventor. But if you give up your life work,—oh, Rick, what could you do?” “Nothing much at first. I’d have to take a clerk-ship or something and work up.” “I’m willing to share poverty with you,—in theory,—but you don’t realize what the reality would mean to us. Not only because we’re both accustomed to having everything we want, but more especially because in these days it’s too dangerous. Suppose we lived on the tiniest possible income, and then you fell ill,—or I did,—or you lost your position,—or anything that interrupted our livelihood,—then, we’d have to go back to mother or to your aunt,—and—dost like the picture?” “I dost not! It’s out of the question. I love you too much, and too truly to take such desperate chances. I think, after all, Dork, the Buns are our one best bet!” “Binny’s Buns! ‘Get a Bun!’ Oh, Rikki, couldn’t hold up my head!” “I know it,—you little inborn aristocrat! And I feel the same way about it. Well, we’ve got to go home and face the music, I suppose.” “Yes, and we’ve got to go now. I’ll get more and worse scolding for every minute I stay here.” “Also, if Eliza tells your mother, she’ll be sending Kate for you.” “Yes, or coming herself. Come along, let’s start.”