"You have chosen a delightful morning for your walk, Miss Vine." "Yes, but we were just going back." "No; don't go back yet," said Harry quickly, for he had strung himself up. "Vic, old fellow, walk on with my sister. I want to have a chat with Miss Van Heldre." The girls exchanged glances, each seeming to ask the other for counsel. Then, in a quiet, decisive way, Madelaine spoke. "Yes, do, Louie dear; I wanted to speak to your brother, too." There was another quick look passing between the friends, and then Louise bowed and walked on, Pradelle giving Harry a short nod which meant, according to his judgment, "It's all right." Louise was for keeping close to her companion, but her brother evidently intended her to have a _tete-a-tete_ encounter with his friend, and she realised directly that Madelaine did not second her efforts. In fact the latter yielded at once to Harry's manoeuvres, and hung back with him, while Pradelle pressed forward, so that before many minutes had elapsed, the couples, as they walked west, were separated by a space of quite a couple of hundred yards. "Now I do call that good of you, Maddy," said Harry eagerly. "You are, and you always were, a dear good little thing." "Do you think so?" she said directly, and her pleasant bright face was now very grave. "Do I think so! You know I do. There, I want a good talk with you, dear. It's time I spoke plainly, and that we fully understood one another." "I thought we did, Harry." "Well, yes, of course, but I want to be more plain. We're no boy and girl now." "No, Harry, we have grown up to be man and woman." "Yes, and ever since we were boy and girl, Maddy, I've loved you very dearly." Madelaine turned her clear searching eyes upon him in the most calm and untroubled way. "Yes, Harry, you have always seemed to." "And you have always cared for me very much?" "Yes, Harry. Always." "Well, don't say it in such a cold, serious way, dear." "But it is a matter upon which one is bound to be cool and very serious." "Well, yes, of course. I don't know that people are any the better for showing a lot of gush." "No, Harry, it is not so deep as the liking which is calm and cool and enduring." "I s'pose not," said the young man very disconcertedly. "But don't be quite so cool. I know you too well to think you would play with me." "I hope I shall always be very sincere, Harry." "Of course you will. I know you will. We began by being playmates-- almost like brother and sister." "Yes, Harry." "But I always felt as I grew older that I should some day ask you to be my darling little wife; and, come now, you always thought so too?" "Yes, Harry, I always thought so too." "Ah, that's right, dear," said the young man, flushing. "You always were the dearest and most honest and plain-spoken girl I ever met." "I try to be." "Of course; and look yonder, there's old Pradelle, the dearest and best friend a fellow ever had, talking to Louie as I'm talking to you."