"And Dorothea was to be alone here with you two men?"
"Well, you see, we are to be married as soon as she arrives. We go straight from here to the clergyman's house; he's waiting for us; in ten minutes' time I shall be her husband; and then everything will be all right."
"How cleverly you've arranged it!"
"I had to make my arrangements pretty close," Carli explained, in a tone of pride. "There were a good many difficulties to overcome, but I did it. Dorothea has had no trouble at all, and will have none; that is", he added, with a sigh, at the recollection of what Diane had just said, "as far as getting down here is concerned. She went to tea at the Belfords', and on coming out she found a motor waiting for her at the door. She walked into it without asking questions and sat down; and that's all. She doesn't know whose motor it is, or where she's going, except that she is being taken toward me. I provided her with everything. She's got nothing to do but sit still till she gets here, when she will be married almost before she knows she has arrived."
"It's certainly most romantic; and if one has to do such things, they couldn't be done better."
"Well, one has to—sometimes."
"Yes; so I see."
"What do you suppose Derek Pruyn will say?" he asked, after a brief pause.
"I haven't the least idea what he'll say—in these circumstances. Of course, I always knew—But there's no use speaking about that now."
"Speaking about what now?" he asked, sharply.