He tried not to say "always," but he thought afterward that he must have said "always." Then she lifted her curls and her little fur cap with the snow on it from his shoulder, and looked deep into his eyes. The worst of it was that hers were filled with joy. "Winn," she said, "do you love me enough for anything? Not only for happiness, but, if we had to have dreadful things, enough for dreadful things?" She spoke of dreadful things as if they were outside her, and as if they were very far away. "I love you enough for anything," said Winn, gravely. "Tell me," she whispered, "did you ever even think--you liked her as much?" Winn looked puzzled; it took him a few minutes to guess whom she meant, then he said wonderingly: "My wife, you mean?" Claire nodded. It was silly how the little word tore its way into her very heart; she had to bite her lips to keep herself from crying out. She did not realize that the word was meaningless to him. "No," said Winn, gravely; "that's the worst of it. I must have been out of my head. It was a fancy. Of course I thought it was all right, but I didn't _care_. It was fun rather than otherwise; you know what I mean? I'm afraid I gave her rather a rotten time of it; but fortunately she doesn't like me at all. It's not surprising." "Yes, it is," said Claire, firmly; "it's very surprising. But if she doesn't care for you, and you don't care for her, can't anything be done?" There is something cruel in the astonishing ease with which youth believes in remedial measures. It is a cruelty which reacts so terribly upon its possessors. Winn hesitated; then he told her that he would take her to the ends of the world. Claire pushed away the ends of the world; they did not sound very practical. "I mean," she said, "have you got to consider anybody else? Of course there's Maurice and your people, I've thought of them. But I don't think they'd mind so awfully always, do you? It wouldn't be like robbing or cheating some one who really needed us. We couldn't do that, of course." Then Winn remembered Peter. He told her somehow that there was Peter. He hid his face against her breast while he told her; he could not bear to see in her eyes this new knowledge of Peter. But she was very quiet about it; it was almost as if she had always known that there was Peter. Winn spoke very wildly after that; he denied Peter; he denied any obstacles; he spoke as if they were already safely and securely married. He explained that they had to be together; that was the long and short of it. Anything else was absurd; she must see that it was absurd. Claire didn't interrupt him once; but when he had quite finished, she said consideringly: "Yes; but, after all, she gave you Peter." Then Winn laughed, remembering how Estelle had given him Peter. He couldn't explain to Claire quite how funny it was. She bore his laughter, though it surprised her a little; there seemed to be so many new things to be learned about him. Then she said: