"Oh, I really don't know about that now," she declared.
"Make me happy by saying that it will be as soon as possible," he urged.
There was no denying anything he asked in that winsome voice.
"I promise," she repeated, after another pause.
He caught her in his arms and strained her to his bosom.
"You have made me the happiest man in the whole wide world, Florence!" he cried, rapturously.
Suddenly his arms fell from her and he reeled backward, staring at the window with widely dilated eyes.
"What is the matter, Royal? Are you ill?" cried Florence, in the greatest terror.
"Some one passed along the porch just outside the window," he panted—"a woman hurrying toward the vestibule door. She will ring the bell in a moment!" he gasped.