“Are you by any chance supposing,” he asked with a directness he had learnt from her own methods, “that by that time I may have fallen in love with you?” She did not hesitate at all. “Well, I think it is a possibility.” “Oh, anything’s possible, but I can tell you this: Even if I were in love with you, you are not the type of woman I should ever dream of marrying.” “What would you do?” “If I saw the slightest chance of falling in love with you--which I don’t--I should try all the harder to free myself.” “I don’t see how you could try any harder than you have. You begin to make me suspicious.” “Miss Fenimer--” “Christine, please.” “Christine, I am not the least bit in love with you.” “Quite sure that you’re not whistling to keep your courage up?” “Quite sure.” “Well,” she said, “just to show my fair spirit, I’ll tell you that I entirely believe you. Shall I add it to the contract: And I credit his repeated assertion that he is not and never will be in the least in love with me? No, I think I’ll omit the ‘and never will be’ clause.” “And may I ask one other question,” he continued, ignoring her last suggestion. “What did you mean when you told me that you had decided to marry Hickson?” “So I have. Don’t you see? He and I are really engaged, but he doesn’t know it. You and I are not really engaged, and you _do_ know it.” “I wish I did,” he returned gloomily. “Oh, yes,” she said, “you know it and I know it, but the dog--that’s Nancy--she doesn’t know it.” He seemed unimpressed by the humor of the situation. He walked away and put his hand on the knob. “One thing more,” he said. “I would like to be sure that you understand this. The weapons are all in my hands. The only strength of your position lies in my good nature and willingness to keep up appearances. Neither one is a rock of defense. I’m not, as you said yourself, good-tempered, and I care very little for appearances. The risk you run, if you don’t play absolutely fair, is of being publicly jilted.” “And I should hate that,” she answered candidly. “I’m sure you would,” he answered. “And I don’t particularly enjoy threatening you with such a possibility.” “Really,” said she. “Now I rather like you when you talk like that.” “Fortunate that you do,” he returned, “for you will probably hear a good deal of it.” She nodded with perfect acquiescence. “And now,” she said, “if you have no more hateful things to say, let’s go and tell our friends of the great happiness that has come into our lives.” CHAPTER IV As they went down the stairs--those same stairs on which only two evenings before they had first met--toward the drawing-room where their great announcement was to be made, Riatt stopped Christine in her triumphal progress. “You’re not going to have the supreme cruelty,” he said, “to let poor Hickson think that our engagement is a genuine one?”