"What nonsense!" said Anne good-humoredly, and more composed than ever. "Mr. Ware loves you dearly. You are the one woman he would choose for his wife. There is no compulsion about his choice, my dear." "Do you really think so?" demanded the girl feverishly. "I thought--it was the ring, you know." "What do you mean, Daisy?" "He never would give me the ring, although I said it was ridiculous for a girl to be engaged without one. He always made some excuse, and only to-night---- But I have him safe now," she added, with a fierce abruptness, "and I'll keep him." "Nobody wants to take him from you, dear." "Do you really think so?" said Miss Kent again. "Then why did he delay giving me the ring?" Anne knew well enough. After her first three meetings with Giles she had seen the love light in his eyes, and his reluctance to bind himself irrevocably with the ring was due to a hope that something might happen to permit his choosing for himself. But nothing had happened, the age of miracles being past, and the vow to his dead father bound him. Therefore on this very night he had locked his shackles and had thrown away the key. Anne had made it plain to him that she could not, nor would she, help him to play a dishonorable part. He had accepted his destiny, and now Daisy asked why he had not accepted it before. Anne made a feeble excuse, the best she could think of. "Perhaps he did not see a ring pretty enough," she said. "It might be that," replied Daisy reflectively. "Giles has such good taste. You did not show me what he gave you to-night." Miss Denham would rather not have shown it, but she had no excuse to refuse a sight of the gift. Without a word she slipped the bangle from her wrist--Daisy's jealous eyes noted that she had kept it on till now--and handed it to the girl. "Oh, how sweet and pretty!" she cried, with artificial cordiality. "Just a ring of gold with a coin attached. May I look?" And without waiting for permission she ran to the lamp. The coin was a half-sovereign of Edward VII., with three stones--a diamond, an amethyst, and a pearl--set in a triangle. A thin ring of gold attached it to the bangle. Daisy was not ill pleased that the gift was so simple. Her engagement ring was much more costly. "It's a cheap thing," she said contemptuously. "The coin is quite common." "It will be rare some day," said Anne, slipping the bangle on her wrist. "The name of the King is spelt on this one 'Edwardus,' whereas in the Latin it should be 'Edvardus.' I believe the issue is to be called in. Consequently coins of this sort will be rare some day. It was kind of Mr. Ware to give it to me." Daisy paid no attention to this explanation. "An amethyst, a diamond, and a pearl," she said. "Why did he have those three stones set in the half-sovereign?"