"Dear Millicent, will you marry me?"
"Yes."
She suddenly put her arms around him and hugged him as though he had been a favourite puppy or an infant of very tender years. She felt about him like that. Then they simply sat hand in hand on a pile of packing-cases in the corner of the room. He suddenly put his hand up and stroked her hair.
"Funny!" she said. "Some one did that the other day and I hated it."
"Who dared?"
She laughed. "No one you need be jealous of."
Poor Ellen! She felt now that she loved all the world, Clarice and Mrs. Martin included.
"You won't mind if you keep our engagement dark for a week or two?" he asked.
"Why?" She turned round and looked at him.
"Oh! I don't know. It would be more fun I think."