She blushed, and her beautiful eyes grew bright--bright with that sort of look which made it impossible to tell what their colour was, only there seemed to be a great deal of gold about them--a sort of golden brown. Then she dropped her long, black lashes, and her face, which had been so rosy, grew pale. She lifted her eyes again, and fixed them on the Colonel's face. "He is coming to-day," she said; "that is why I am happy. He may be here at any hour--at any minute. I am most awfully happy. A week ago I was astonished when he said what he did say; but now I am just happy. I am very rich, Colonel, because he loves me so much." "Who in the world is the girl talking about?" said the Colonel, for he at least knew nothing about Florence's attachment. Florence looked at him half shyly. "Can't you guess?" she said. "Didn't you see us together on Christmas Day?" But the Colonel still looked puzzled. A good many people had dined in their hospitable house on Christmas Day, and he had not particularly noticed either Brenda or Florence at that time. "You must explain a little more, dear," he said very gently. "Well," said Florence, "I will tell you, for you will know all about it very, very soon. It is Michael--Michael Reid." "What?" said the Colonel. "We have been friends always, but I never guessed--in fact, I have never had the smallest idea that he--he cared for me; I did not think about those sorts of things; but on Christmas Day he did seem a little different from other men, and the next day we took a walk--a long walk-- and he told me--oh, that is what makes it so beautiful!--that he loved me just, just for myself alone." The Colonel looked rather uneasy. "Michael Reid!" he said. "Of course I know the lad, I have known him since he was a boy. He is not well off, Florence." "That is just it," said Florence. "That is the beautiful part. We neither of us care twopence whether he is well off or not. He says that he would love me if I were as poor as a church mouse, and I feel just the same for him. We are very rich, both of us, because we love each other so much. That is about it, Colonel. How can you call me a poor girl, when I am so rich in love?" "God grant it, my darling! God grant that you are," said the Colonel in a reverent tone. Then, bending over her, he kissed her on her white forehead. "You have no father living, so I must take his place for the time being," he added. "Michael is coming to see me to-day," said Florence. "He may be here any minute. I want to put on my very prettiest frock for him. There is nothing one would not do for the man who loves you, is there?" "Nothing, nothing, of course," said the Colonel. Very soon afterwards Florence left the room. As she was going away, the Colonel said-- "I must see about this: I must be a father to you; I feel that I stand in the place of a father to you at the present moment."