"I mean it."
"But why? You know the one concession, the only one I have ever made to my mother's hostility to you, is that our engagement shall be kept a secret until we are ready to marry. We must play fair."
"I will, we are ready now."
Nan's voice broke into a ripple of laughter.
"Oh, are we?—I didn't know it."
"Yes, that's what I came to tell you," Stuart went on, catching her spirit of fun and pressing her hand. "I've arranged a little trip to the country to-morrow, and I'm going to convince you before we return. You can go?"
"Of course, I'm open to conviction."
"And you consent to the announcement?"
"To-night?"
"Yes."