"I sha'n't," I cried; "and, so far from meaning that I had lost my self-respect, I was alluding to quite another thing." "Time?" she asked. "No." "What?" "Something else you have stolen." "I haven't," she denied. "You have," I affirmed. "You mean the novel?" she asked; "because I sent it in to 97 to-night." "I don't mean the novel." "I can't think of anything more but those pieces of petrified wood, and those you gave me," she said demurely. "I am sure that whatever else I have of yours you have given me without even my asking, and if you want it back you've only got to say so." "I suppose that would be my very best course," I groaned. "I hate people who force a present on one," she continued, "and then, just as one begins to like it, want it back." Before I could speak, she asked hurriedly, "How often do you come to Chicago?" I took that to be a sort of command that I was to wait, and though longing to have it settled then and there, I braked myself up and answered her question. Now I see what a duffer I was--Madge told me afterwards that she asked only because she was so frightened and confused that she felt she must stop my speaking for a moment. I did my best till I heard the whistle the locomotive gives as it runs into yard limits, and then rose. "Good-by, Miss Cullen," I said, properly enough, though no death-bed farewell was ever more gloomily spoken; and she responded, "Good-by, Mr. Gordon," with equal propriety. I held her hand, hating to let her go, and the first thing I knew, I blurted out, "I wish I had the brass of Lord Ralles!" "I don't," she laughed, "because, if you had, I shouldn't be willing to let you--" And what she was going to say, and why she didn't say it, is the concern of no one but Mr. and Mrs. Richard Gordon. THE END Transcriber's Note: The discrepancies of four or seven "years of Western life" on Pages 7, 15 and 26 have been retained as in the original. The oe ligature in the Latin-1 and text versions of this book have been changed to "oe". Page 49. Changed "good-bye" to "good-by" twice. (... the rest of the party were there, and I bade good-by to the captain and Albert.); ("I hope it isn't good-by, but only au revoir," ...) Page 59. Changed "coconino" to "Coconino". (... and, as all the rest of the ride was through Coconino forest, ...) Page 104. Corrected American Morse Code (a.k.a. Railroad Morse Code) to accurately reflect transmitted message. Page 105. Changed "rail road" to "railroad". ("Sheriff yavapai county ash forks arizona be at railroad station ...") Page 140. Changed "doorway" to "door-way". (... pulled through the door-way of my car by the cowboys ...) Page 145. Changed "her" to "Her". (... Her Majesty's ...) Page 181. Changed "Discoving" to "Discovering". (Discovering this, Camp whipped out his gun, and told me to let them out.) Page 187. Changed "sheriff" to "Sheriff". (... I could have given Sheriff Gunton points on cursing.)