“I don't want you to think—I want you to marry me right now.”
“I must have a little time.”
His face fell in despair.
“Say, little girl, don't turn me down—you'll kill me.”
“I'm not turning you down,” she protested tenderly. “I only want time to see that I'm not crazy. I have to pinch myself to see if I'm awake. It all seems a dream”—she paused and lifted her radiant face to his—“a beautiful dream—the most wonderful my soul has ever seen. I must be sure it's real!”
He drew her into his arms, and her body again relaxed in surrender as his lips touched hers.
“Isn't that the real thing?” he laughed.
She lay very still, her eyes closed, her face a scarlet flame. She was frightened at the swift realization of its overwhelming reality. The touch of his hand thrilled to the last fiber and nerve of her body. Her own trembling fingers clung to him with desperate longing tenderness. She roused herself with an effort and drew away.
“That's enough now. I must have a little common-sense. Let's go——”
He clung to her hand.