"I wish I were for your sake," Dick replied, with an adoring glance, and a kiss on the hand which he held. "And to think that this absurdly small hand wrote those beautiful letters." "You didn't suppose I had an amanuensis, did you?" laughed May. Then Dick laughed, and together they both laughed, overpowered by the exquisite wit of this fine jest. "Really, though," Dick said, "they came to me like a revelation. I never had such letters before!" May drew away her hand, and sat upright with an air of offended surprise. "Well, I should hope you never did!" she cried. "The idea of any other woman's daring to write to you!" "But you were writing to a stranger; some other woman--" "Now, Richard," declared May resolutely, "this has got to be settled right here. If you are going to twit me all my life with having written to you--" He effectually stopped her speech. "I'll never speak of it again," he said; "or at least only just often enough so that it shan't be entirely forgotten." "You are horrid!" declared she with a pout. "You mean to tease me with--" "Tease you, May? Heavens, how you mistake! I only want all my life to be kept your slave by remembering--" The reader is at liberty from experience to supply as many hours of this sort of talk as his taste calls for. There were, however, some points of real interest touched upon in the course of the evening. Dick confided to May the fact that Jack Neligage had sold his ponies, was paying his debts, and had accepted a place in a bank. Mr. Frostwinch, a college friend of Jack's father, had offered the situation, and although the salary was of course not large it gave Neligage something to live on. "Oh, I'll tell that to Alice to-morrow," May said. "She will be delighted to know that Jack is going to do something. Alice is awfully fond of him." The conversation had to be interrupted by speculations upon the relative force of the attachment between Alice and Jack and the love which May and Dick were at that moment confirming; and from this the talk drifted away to considerations of the proper manner of disclosing the engagement. May's guardian, Mr. Frostwinch, Dick knew well, and there was no reason to expect opposition from him unless on the possible ground of a difference of fortune. It was decided that Dick should see him on the morrow, and that there should be no delay in announcing the important news. "It will take us two or three days to write our notes, of course," May said, with a pretty air of being very practical in the midst of her sentiment. "We'll say next Wednesday." Dick professed great ignorance of the social demands of the situation, and of course the explanation had to be given with many ornamental flourishes in the way of oscular demonstrations. May insisted that everything should be done duly and in order; told him upon whom of her relatives he would have to call, to whom write, and so many other details that Dick accused her of having been engaged before.