“I 've not told her yet.” Walter drew a breath. “But you 're going to?” “Of course,” said John. “Do you think it 's so damned easy?” “You had better be quick, if you 're coming back to town with me. I'm due at rehearsal at twelve.” “I'll go and tell her now,” said John. “Let me just say how d' ye do to her first. I won't stay a minute.” The two men entered the sea-chamber together. Stella welcomed her Great High Favourite and chatted gaily for a while. Then she commanded him to sit down. “I 'm afraid I can't stay, Stellamaris. I have to go back to London.” Stella glanced at the clock. “Your train does n't go for an hour.” She was jealously learned in trains. “I think John wants to talk to you.” “He has been talking to me quite beautifully for a long time,” said Stella, “and I want to talk to you.” “He has something very particular to say, Stellamaris.” “What is it, Belovedest?” Her eyes sparkled, and she clasped her hands over her childish bosom. “You are not going to marry Belinda Molyneux?” “No, dear,” said John; “I'm not going to marry anybody.” “I'm so glad.” She turned to Herold. “Are you going to get married?” “No,” smiled Herold. Stella laughed. “What a relief! People do get married, you know, and I suppose both of you will have to one of these days, when you get older; but I don't like to think of it.” “I don't believe I shall ever marry, Stellamaris,” said Herold. “Why?” Herold looked out to sea for a wistful instant. “Because one can't marry a dream, my dear.” “I've married hundreds,” said Stella, softly. If they had been alone together, they would have talked dreams and visions and starshine and moonshine, and their conversation would have been about as sensible and as satisfactory to each other and as intelligible to a third party as that of a couple of elves sitting on adjacent toadstools; but elves don't talk in the presence of a third party, even though he be John Risca and Great High Belovedest. And Stellamaris, recognizing this instinctively, turned her eyes quickly to Risca. “And you, dear--will you ever marry?” “Never, by Heaven!” cried John, with startling fervency. Stella reached out both her hands to the two men who incorporated the all in all of her little life, and each man took a hand and kissed it. “I don't want to be horrid and selfish,” she said; “but if I lost either of you, I think it would break my heart.” The men exchanged glances. John repeated his query: “Do you think it's so damned easy?” “Tell us why you say that, Stellamaris,” said Herold. John rose suddenly and stood by the west window, which was closed. Stella's high bed had been drawn next to the window open to the south. The room was warm, for a great fire blazed in the tall chimneypiece. He rose to hide his eyes from Stella, confounding Herold for a marplot. Was this the way to make his task easier? He heard Stella say in her sweet contralto: