"Ah, for me to point out the way would be to play traitor to myself," she answered, relenting and relaxing a little before his devoted wooing. "You must find it without assistance. I can only tell you one thing." "And what is that?" "You do not advance toward the goal by such actions as those of a moment since." "Look here," said the other suddenly. "I am not ashamed of what I did, and I'm not going to pretend that I am, either." "You ought to be," severely. "Well, maybe so, but I'm not. I couldn't help it any more than I could help loving you the minute I saw you. Put yourself in my place." "But I am not in your place, and I can't put myself there. I do not wish to. If it be true, as you say, that you have grown to--care so much for me and so quickly--" "If it be true?" came the sharp interruption as the man bent toward her fairly devouring her with his bold, ardent gaze. "Well, since it is true," she admitted under the compulsion of his protest, "that fact is the only possible excuse for your action." "You find some justification for me, then!" "No, only a possibility, but whether it be true or not, I do not feel that way--yet." There was a saving grace in that last word, which gave him a little heart. He would have spoken, but she suffered no interruption, saying: "I have been wooed before, but--" "True, unless the human race has become suddenly blind," he said softly under his breath. "But never in such ungentle ways." "I suppose you have never run up against a real red-blooded man like me before." "If red-blooded be evidenced mainly by lack of self-control, perhaps I have not. Yet there are men whom I have met who would not need to apologize for their qualities even to you, Mr. James Armstrong." "Don't say that. Evidently I make but poor progress in my wooing. Never have I met with a woman quite like you."--And in that indeed lay some of her charm, and she might have replied in exactly the same language and with exactly the same meaning to him.--"I am no longer a boy. I must be fifteen years older than you are, for I am thirty-five." The difference between their years was not quite so great as he declared, but woman-like the girl let the statement pass unchallenged.