He said: "I have told you a thousand times that the thing to do is to take Molly Wycherly 'board the Yulan, and——"
"I do not care to do it until our engagement is announced."
"Very well," he said, swinging around in his saddle, "I'll announce it to-day and we'll go aboard this evening and clear out."
"Wh-what!" she faltered.
"There's no use waiting any longer," he said. "Mrs. Ledwith and my fool of an aunt are coming to-morrow. Did you know that? Well, they are. And every dirty newspaper in town will make the matter insidiously significant! If my aunt hadn't taken it into her head to visit Mrs. Ledwith at this particular moment, there would have been few comments. As it is there'll be plenty—and I don't feel like putting up with them—I don't propose to for my own sake. The time comes, sooner or later, when a man has got to consider himself."
After a short silence Strelsa raised her gray eyes:
"Has it occurred to you to consider, me, Langly?"
"What? Certainly. Haven't I been doing that ever since we've been engaged——"
"I—wonder," she mused.
"What else have I been doing?" he insisted—"denying myself the pleasure of you when I'm half crazy about you——"