“I don’t want to tell you that.”

I coaxed.

“Well, if you must know, I—I hoped from the first time I saw you.”

“You hoped! Good heavens, dear! Why didn’t you let me know. I—I didn’t think I had a chance.”

She snuggled more closely against me.

“A girl can’t let a man know she loves him until she knows that he loves her, dear. You seemed so far away, and so—so disinterested. I was afraid you would never let me know that—that you loved me.”

“But I thought it was George, Betty. How could I let you know? You see, it’s the first time I’ve done this sort of thing.”

“You dear, blind darling!”

“I know it now. I see. But even now I can’t see why—I can hardly believe——”

“Tut, tut!” She pinched my arm. “Can he believe now? Isn’t it real, to him?”