"No, I could hardly object to that," he said.
"Well, then, if everything goes right with my father's plans we'll have love and money and all. It will be wonderful—heaven on earth! Kiss me!"
She put up her lips, and he kissed them and found them bitter-sweet. Then she strode on with a lilting joy, humming a song and putting her horse to his paces to keep up with her. Forbes remembered what Senator Tait had said of her father's impending doom, and her rapture was a heartbreak to him—a final irony.
As they issued from the green cave of the forest and walked down to the State Road to take the saddle, a motor came along. Two men were in it. The driver stopped the car in front of Persis, and the other man lifted his hat. It disclosed a shock of brindle hair and half of one eyebrow gone.
"Can you tell me if this road leads to Briarcliff?" he asked.
"Yes, I think so," Persis answered.
"Thank you, Miss Cabot," he called out, as the car whirred away.
Persis stared after him in amazement. "Now who was that? How did he know my name?"
"By your pictures in the papers," Forbes suggested.
"No," said Persis; "I've met him somewhere. Oh, I know. He's a reporter on the—some paper. Lord, I hope he didn't misconstrue our being here. I didn't like the grin on his face."