“Settles what?”

“Why, you’ll go with me!”

“No.”

“What do you mean?”

“I told you I’m not ready yet.”

There was a silence while Hillyer, buoyed up with new hope, made some hurried calculations.

182

“Then listen, Marion!” he said. “I’ll go to Denver, and come back in a week or ten days. I’ll arrange things so that I can stay here until––”

“Oh, Robert! You won’t understand.”

He stared at her blankly.