“Well, then, Gerald,” said Allison, regarding her lover earnestly, “you know, of course, that papa left me a lot of money.”

“Yes, I know that Mr. Brewster was supposed to be a very rich man,” the young man responded, with a regretful sigh.

“And one little body, like me, couldn’t begin to spend it all—especially when she is cooped up in a boarding school, and has an ogre of a guardian to hold her in check,” the young girl continued, with a mock, injured air.

“Well?” said Gerald, smiling at her mood, yet not suspecting toward what it was tending.

“You say that you—love me very much, Gerald?”

“Ah, my darling, I have no words to tell you all there is in my heart.”

“And you know that I—I am every bit as fond of you?” This with a shy look and blush that were almost bewildering.

“I trust so, dearest.”

“Then nothing should ever be allowed to come between us as a barrier.”