"The answer!" demanded Jeremy.
For a moment more she waited. Then she came towards him hesitatingly, her eyes not yet seeking his face. She came up to him and stood with her hands hanging by her side. Then slowly she raised to his face the large trustful eyes which he had known and loved so well.
"The answer is Yes, Jeremy," she said. "For all my life and with all my heart, dear!"
"I knew this was the right day!" cried Jeremy.
"Oh, any day was right!" she whispered as she sought his arms.
A couple of hours later he burst into Grantley Imason's room, declaring that he was the happiest man on earth. This condition of his, besides being by no means rare in young men, was not unexpected, and congratulations met the obvious needs of the occasion. Sibylla, who was there, was not even very emotional over the matter; the remembrance of Dora Hutting inclined her mind towards the humorous aspect—so hard is it to appreciate the changeful processes of other hearts. But Jeremy himself was excited enough for everybody, and his excitement carried him into forgetfulness of a solemn pledge which he had once given. He wrung Grantley's hand with a vigour at once embarrassing and painful, crying:
"I owe it all to you! I should never have dared it except for the partnership that's coming, and that was all your doing. Without your money——"
"Damn you, Jeremy," said Grantley in a quiet whisper, rescuing his hand and compassionately caressing it with its uninjured brother.
The imprecation seemed to be equally distributed between Jeremy's two causes of offence, but Jeremy allocated it to one only.
"Oh, good lord!" he said, with a guilty glance at Sibylla.