"Yes, I am," he owned, wondering what would come next, but feeling that the tide was all his way.

Aunt Mary collapsed with a joyful sigh.

"My heavens alive," she said rapturously, "seems like it"s too good to be true! Jack," she continued solemnly, "if you"re in love with her you shall marry her. If there"s any way to keep a girl like that in the family I guess I ain"t goin" to let her slip through my fingers not while I"ve got a live nephew. You shall marry her an" I"ll buy you a house in New York and come an" live with you."

Jack sat silent, but smiling.

"Do you think she will want to marry me?" he asked presently.

"You go and bring her to me," said the old lady vigorously. "I"ll soon find out. Just tell her I want to speak to her-don"t tell her what about.

That ain"t none of your business an" I"m a great believer in people"s not interfering in what"s none of their business. You just get her and then leave her to me."

Jack went and found Janice. He was sufficiently mean not to tell her what had happened, and Janice-being built on a different plan from Lucinda-had not kept near enough to the keyhole to be posted anyway.

"Mr. Denham says you want me," she said, coming to the bedside with her customary pleasant smile.

"I do," said her mistress. "I want to speak to you on a very serious subject and I want you to pay a lot of attention. It"s this: I want you to marry Jack."

Poor Janice jumped violently,-there was no doubt as to the genuineness of her surprise.

"Well, don"t you want to?" asked Aunt Mary.

"I don"t believe I do."

At this it was the old lady"s turn to be astonished.

"Why don"t you?" she said; "my heavens alive, what are you a-expectin" to marry if you don"t think my nephew"s good enough for you?"

"But I don"t want to marry!" cried poor Janice, in most evident distress.

Aunt Mary looked at her severely.

"Then what did you kiss him for?" she asked, in the tone in which one plays the trump ace.

Janice started again.

"Kiss-him-" she faltered.

Aunt Mary regarded her sternly.

"Granite," she said, "I ain"t a-intendin" to be unreasonable, but I must ask you jus" one simple question. You kissed him, for I saw you; an" will you kindly tell me why, in heaven"s name, you ain"t willin" to marry any man that you"re willin" to kiss?"

"There"s such a difference," wailed the maid.

"I don"t see it," said her mistress, shaking her head. "I don"t see it at all. Of course I never for a minute thought of doin" either myself, but if I had thought of doin" either, I"d had sense enough to have seen that I"d have to make up my mind to do both. I"m a great believer in never doin"

things by halves. It don"t pay. Never-nohow."

Janice was biting her lips.

"But I don"t want to marry!" she repeated obstinately.

"Then you shouldn"t have let him kiss you. You"ve got him all started to lovin" you and if he"s stopped too quick no one can tell what may happen.

I want him to settle down, but I want him to settle down because he"s happy an" not because he"s shattered. He says he"s willin" to marry you an" I don"t see any good reason why not."

Janice"s mouth continued to look rebellious.

"Go and get him," said Aunt Mary. "I can see that this thing has got to be settled pleasantly right off, or we shan"t none of us have any appet.i.te for dinner. You find Jack, or if you can"t find him tell Lucinda that she"s got to."

Janice went out and found Jack in the hall.

"Is this a trap?" she asked reproachfully.

Jack laughed.

"No," he said "it"s a counter-mine."

"Your aunt wants you at once," said Janice, putting her hands into her pockets and looking out of the window.

"I fly to obey," he said obediently, and went at once to his elderly relative.

"Jack," she said, the instant he opened the door, "I"ve had a little talk with Granite. She don" want to marry you, but she looks to me like she really didn"t know her own mind. I"ve said all I can say an" I"m too tired holdin" the ear-trumpet to say any more. I think the best thing you can do is to take her out for a walk an" explain things thoroughly. It"s no good our talkin" to her together; and, anyway, I"ve always been a great believer in "Two"s company-three"s none." That was really the big reason why I"d never let Lucinda keep a cat. You take her and go to walk and I guess everything"ll come out all right. It ought to. My heavens alive!"

Jack took the maid and they went out to walk. When they were beyond earshot the first thing that they did was to laugh long and loud.

"Of all my many and varied adventures!" cried Mrs. Rosscott, and Jack took the opportunity to kiss her again-under no protest this time.

"We shall have to be married very soon, now, you know," he said gayly.

"Aunt Mary won"t be able to wait."

"Oh, as to that-we"ll see," said Mrs. Rosscott, and laughed afresh. "But there is one thing that must be done at once."

"What"s that?" Jack asked.

"We must tell Aunt Mary who I am."

"Oh, to be sure," said the young man.

"I hope she won"t take it in any way but the right way!" the widow said thoughtfully.

"My dearest, in what other way could she take it? I think she has proved her opinion of you pretty sincerely."

"Yes," said Mrs. Rosscott, with a little smile, "I certainly have cause to feel that she loves me for myself alone."

When they returned to the house they went straightway to Aunt Mary"s room, and the first glance through the old lady"s eye-gla.s.ses told her that her wishes had all been fulfilled. She sat up in bed, took a hand of each into her own, and surveyed them in an access of such utter joy as nearly caused all three to weep together.

"Well, I _am_ so glad," was all she said for the first few seconds, and n.o.body doubted her words forever after.

Then Mrs. Rosscott removed her hat and jacket, and when she returned to the bedside her future aunt made her sit down close to her and hold one of her hands while Jack held the other.