She spoke with the frankness and ingenuousness of a child, and Drake stroked her hair as he would that of a child.
"Yes, that's reasonable enough," he said. "But I've lost my money lately. See?"
She nodded, and looked up at him a little more gravely.
"Yes? I am sorry. I suppose it must have seemed very hard to you. I have never been rich, but I can imagine that one does not like losing his money and becoming poor. Poor—Drake!"
"Then, you don't mind?" he inquired. "You don't shrink from the prospect of being a pauper's bride, Nell?"
She laughed.
"Why should I?" she said simply. "We've always been poor—at least, nearly since I can remember; and we have always been happy, Dick and I. Now, it would not have been so nice if you had been very rich."
"Why not?" he asked, lifting a tress of her hair to his lips.
She thought for a moment.
"Oh, don't you see? I should have felt that you had been foolish to—to love me——" There was an interlude. Should he ever grow tired of kissing her? he asked himself. "And I should have been afraid."