“I want to take it off,” whispered Dosia intensely. “I hate him, I hate him! I never want to see him again. I can’t see him again! I threw the ring out in the hall somewhere. You’ll have to find it—— I couldn’t have it in the room with me! Lois, you must tell him I can’t see him again; promise me that I’ll never see him again—promise, _promise_!” She clung to Lois as if her life depended on that protection. “Yes, yes, dear, I promise,” said Lois with a sudden warmth of sympathy such as she had never before felt for the girl. This situation, this feeling, she could comprehend—it might have been her own in similar case. She had known girls before who had been engaged for but a day or a week, and then revolted; it was not so new a circumstance as the world fancies. She drew the towel now from Dosia’s relaxed fingers, and held her closer as she said: “There, be quiet, Dosia, and don’t make yourself ill. I don’t see what that poor man is going to do—of course he’ll feel dreadfully; but you can’t help that now—it’s a great deal better than finding out the mistake later. I’ll tell him not to come again, I promise you. Of course, I’ll have to speak to Justin; I don’t know what he will say!” Lois broke into a rueful smile. “Dosia, Dosia! What scrape will you get into next?” “Isn’t it dreadful!” gasped poor Dosia. She sat up straight and looked at Lois with tragic eyes. “Now two men have kissed me. I can never get over that in this world. I can never be nice again—no one can ever think I’m nice again! No one can ever—_love_ me in this world!” She buried her hot face in Lois’ bosom, sobbing tearlessly against that new shelter, in spite of the other’s incoherent words of comfort so unalterably, so inherently a woman made to be loved that the loss of the dream of it was like the loss of existence. After a moment Dosia went on brokenly: “It seems so strange—things begin—and you think they are going to turn out to be something you want very much, and then all of a sudden they end—and there is nothing more. Everything is all beginning—and then it ends—there is nothing more. And now I can never be really nice again!” “Nonsense! You’ll feel very differently about it all after a while,” said Lois sensibly. “I don’t want to go down-stairs again.” Dosia began to shake violently. “If he were to come back——” “Well, stay up here. Zaidee shall bring you your dinner,” said Lois humoringly. “I must go down now; I hear Justin. Only, you’ll have to promise me to be quiet, Dosia, and not begin going wild again the moment I’m out of the room.” “No, I’ll be good,” murmured Dosia submissively. “Oh, Lois, you’re so kind to me! I love you so much!”