“Not a bit; not the slightest. Come and sit on the sofa and let's see where we are.” She put that golden head upon his manly shoulder; he fetched his right arm about her; she nursed her hands upon the brown fist that came into her lap; that other brown hand he set upon the three. Together they viewed their prospects--gloomy pictures. “But we're fairly in the cart,” George summed up. “We are, you know.” His ridiculous Mary gave him that lovers' ridiculous specific. “We've got each other,” she told him, snuggling to him. George kissed her. He fumbled in his pockets. “I've got just about three pounds--over from what Marrapit gave me for the clue-hunting. I say, Mary, it's pretty awful.” She snuggled the closer. Early evening, tip-toeing through the window, was drawing her dusky hangings about the room when at length George withdrew the brown hands; stirred. II. Upon a little sigh Mary let go the string that held the dreams she had been dreaming. Like a great gay bundle of many-coloured toy balloons suddenly released, they soared away. She came to the desperate present; noted her George filling his pipe. He got upon his legs; paced the floor, puffing. It was his characteristic pose when he was most tremendous. She watched this tremendous fellow adoringly. He told her: “I've settled it all, Marykins. I've fixed it all up. We'll pull through right as rain.” He caught the admiring glance in his Mary's eye; inhaled and gusted forth a huge breath of smoke; repeated the fine sentence. “We'll pull through right as rain.” “Dear George!” she softly applauded. He pushed ahead. “There's this locum tenens I was going to take up in the North. I haven't offed that yet--haven't refused it, I mean. Well, I shall take it. The screw's pretty rotten, but up in the North--in the North, you know--well, it's not like London. It's cheap--frightfully cheap. You can live on next to nothing--” She pushed out the irritating, practical, womanish side of her. “_Can_ you? How do you _know_, Georgie?” We men hate these pokes at our knowledge; women will not understand generalisations. George jerked back: “How do I _know_? Oh, don't interrupt like that, Mary. Everybody knows that living is cheap in the North--in the _North_.” “Of course,” she excused herself. “Of course, dear, I see.” “Well, where was I? Frightfully cheap, so the screw won't matter. I'll take the job, dearest. I'll take it for next month. And--listen--we'll marry and go up there together and live in some ripping little rooms. There!” She was flaming pink; could only breathe: “Georgie, _dear!_”