"I shall begin to believe you are a man-hater, just as Neighbor is a woman-hater," laughed Luke.
"I have my doubts," confessed Ruth. "But you, Luke, have your own way to win in life, and if this man can and will help you, shouldn't you be willing to give up a little thing like that for policy's sake?"
"A little thing like what?" exclaimed Luke Shepard, rather warmly.
"Why—er—getting married," and Ruth Kenway's eyes danced as she looked at him again for an instant.
"The greatest thing in the world!" he almost shouted.
"You mean love is the greatest thing in the world," said Ruth still demurely smiling. "They say marriage hasn't much to do with that—sometimes."
"I believe you are pessimistic regarding the marriage state."
"I don't know anything about it. Never thought of it, really."
Tess just then came singing through the house, having been to see Miss Ann Titus, the dressmaker, regarding certain dresses that were to be got ready for the little girls to wear to school. She had refused to tell Dot where she was going because one of the dresses was to be a surprise to the smallest Corner House girl.
It needed no seer to discover that Tess had been to see the seamstress. She was a polite little girl and she did not like to break in upon other people's conversation; but she was so chock full of news that some of it had to spill over.