Once she seemed to have stopped the tears. He turned her face up to his own again, and softly kissed her wet eyes. Her full lips were parted before him, but he did not kiss them. The sobs came again. "There--there!--it will soon be over." At last she ceased to cry from sheer exhaustion, and when, with his hand under her chin, he forced up her head again, she looked at him a full minute and then closed her eyes. He kissed their lids. There came from time to time the involuntary quick little indrawings of breath,--the aftermath of her weeping. He held her so for a time, while neither spoke. She had become too weak to struggle. "My arms have starved for you so," he murmured. She gave no sign. "Come over here." He led her, unresisting, around to the couch at the other side of the table. "Sit here, and we'll talk it over sensibly, before you get ready." When he released her, she started quickly up toward the door that led into the hall. "_Don't_ do that--please don't be foolish." He locked the door, and put the key in his pocket. Then he went over to the big folding-doors, and satisfied himself they were locked from the other side. He went back and stood in front of her. She had watched him with dumb terror in her face. "Now we can talk--but there isn't much to be said. How soon can you be ready?" "You _are_ crazy!" "Possibly--believe what you like." "How did you ever _dare?_ Oh, how _awful!_" "If you haven't passed that stage, I'll hold you again." "No, no--_please_ don't--please stand up again. Sit over there,--I can think better." "Think quickly. This is Saturday, and to-morrow is their busy day. They may not sit up late to-night." She arose with a little shrug of desperation that proclaimed her to be in the power of a mad man. She looked at her face in the oval mirror, wiping her eyes and making little passes and pats at her disordered hair. He went over to her. "No, no--please go over there again. Sit down a moment--let me think. I'll talk to you presently." There was silence for five minutes. He watched her, while she narrowed her eyes in deep thought. Then he looked at his watch. "I can give you an hour, if you've anything to say before it's done--not longer." She drew a long breath. "Mr. Bines, are you mad? Can't you be rational?" "I haven't been irrational, I give you my word, not once since I came here." He looked at her steadily. All at once he saw her face go crimson. She turned her eyes from his with an effort. "I'm going back to Montana in the morning. I want you to marry me to-night--I won't even wait one more day--one more hour. I know it's a thing you never dreamt of--marrying a poor man. You'll look at it as the most disgraceful act of folly you could possibly commit, and so will every one else here--but you'll _do_ it. To-morrow at this time you'll be half-way to Chicago with me."