"I do," he said, in the tone of one thoroughly convinced. "I have been thinking it over, and have come to the conclusion that Josef is right. You could make me do anything, Katrine. Will you try? In these days to come, when I am away with all those people, will you keep me from temptation?" She hesitated for a minute, not knowing whether he was jesting or not. "Believe me," she said, at length, "I will try." VI DERMOTT GIVES A DINNER AT THE OLD LODGE The following morning, as she stood clipping the roses, Dermott McDermott leaned over the hedge. "Will you marry me, Katrine?" he said, with no salutation whatever. "Will you wait," she inquired, "till I've finished cutting the roses?" "But I'm in earnest," he announced. She held the clippers in her gloved hand to shade the sun from her eyes, regarding him in her friendly, companionable way. "Dermott," she said, "what makes you such a liar?" The word as she spoke it of him seemed almost a compliment. "You've been associating, I fear, with some narrow and confined spirit, who repeats things exactly as they occurred. I've more imagination!" he explained, with a laugh. "Why should I not change things a bit?" he continued. "Every Irishman's got to have one of three vices: whiskey, love-making, or lying. Mention me one of any distinction who had none of these!" "There was St. Patrick," Katrine suggested, a laugh held under her eyelids. "He's so remote you can prove nothing against him. Take another that I have later news of." "Wellington." "He was never an Irishman." "And Burke." "And I'm thinkin', begging your pardon, Mistress Katrine, there was a lady to be explained away in his case. No," he said, waving her suggestion far from him, "all the Irish are alike. They've, as I say, one of three vices. I lie, that's why I'm so interestin', especially to the ladies. Suppose I say: 'Old Mrs. O'Hooligan was tripped by a dog in the lane yesterday!' Who cares? Not one soul in a thousand! But instead, with a gesture: 'Did ye hear of the startling adventure of Mrs. O'Hooligan? She was coming home at midnight from a sick friend's' (it's well to throw in a few sympathetic touches if ye can). 'Suddenly an animal, a strange animal, came by, something like a mad bull' (of course you can enlarge or diminish the animal as required; in the mist of night I have found a black cat very telling). 'She saw the vision quite plainly. It passed, touched her, there was a word in the air whose significance she was unable to determine, and in the morning the friend was well--or dead.' For conversational purposes it makes no difference." He wore a broad smile as he spoke, looking down at her with great love and devotion.