"I am an underbred cad," he went on firmly. "I should have remembered that a lady was present.

"Oh, I'm not that sort of a lady," she disclaimed eagerly. "I'm downright sorry you didn't wallop them. They needed it."

He showed pronounced symptoms of being unable to assimilate wallop.

"I think I am upset and discombobbled," she murmured, in low apology for it. Then, looking around her, faintly, “Is there any place to sit down?"

"Accept my arm,” he said, offering it gracefully. "Let me take you to the house."

This practical propriety braced her like a cold shower.

"I'm all right now," she said, after a moment. She walked slowly along under the magnolias, Roycroft keeping beside her.

"I blame myself for not coming sooner," he said. "By so doing I might have saved you all this annoyance.'

"Oh, and I've never thanked you!"

"There is no need," he observed stiffly. "The precautions I took were as much in my own interests, of course, as yours."

"That's so, of course,” she admitted, feeling a little uncomfortable over having tried to usurp the whole excitement.

"Will you allow me to say that I very much admire your composure?" he asked earnestly.

"What's that? Oh, yes, I allow it," she replied, indifferently. If he had only exclaimed unceremoniously, "You're a good sport," she would have laughed gratefully and shaken hands with him. In her business life she had learned to like the ways of bluff and brotherly

men, and "language" generally sounded insincere to her.

"You are stronger than I thought you would be." "My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is pure," she quoted, aggravatingly.

"I perceive that you are not especially interested in what I am saying, but I wish to assure you that grove life is not all a struggle. You may come to like it.” "I do already."

"You do?" he demanded with considerable eagerness. "It's the dash dashedest pie I ever wrastled with, but I like it, oh, I like it." "

He stood still.

"Am I intruding? Do you wish me to go?"

"Can't you hear a little poetry without getting black in the face?" she counterdemanded.

He considered this deeply, then virtually replied in the affirmative by continuing to walk at her side.

"I venture to instruct you out of my greater experience, Miss Laurie. May I tell you why I left England?"

"Yes, I guess you may do so safely; the sheriff's gone."

"By Jove, you make things easy for a chap, Miss Laurie!" he protested.

"Then go on," she said, affably. "Well, Mr. Bones, why did you leave England?"

Having by now reached one of the numerous short flights of steps leading to her wealth of veranda, she leaned against one railing, and he against the other.

"I grew tired of doing nothing," he said, evidently having a reason for wishing to acquaint her with details in regard to himself. "One of my brothers is in the army, the other in the navy. My mater, who's

awfully charming and all that, don't you know, wanted me to stay around with her and go to teas and play tennis, and all the rest of it; and she could not understand why I had to go. But I had.”

"Was the tea poor?"

"The mater took far from kindly to the idea of my going into business over there; but did not so much mind India or Africa."

"Or America-while mentioning savage climes."

"Nor America. So I came on. I did not like New York-"

"Hush! it might hear you."

"It was too confoundedly rushy. Every man seemed bent on doing up the other man, don't you know. But I met a glorious old chap from California, who talked oranges. Well, that was the beginning. I came down here, and I have stayed. Hard work agrees with me. It fascinates me. Never again can I be content to idle. Then, too, the money piles up. That also is fascinating."

"I believe it," she groaned dismally. from hearsay."

"But only

"You are more tired than you think, Miss Laurie. I wish you would go in and lie down."

" she ex

"But I am not

"Oh, if you want to be rid of me claimed airily, running up the steps. as easily shoved under as you seem to imagine. So you might as well leave off making pitying eyes at me. There. That's right. Oh, tonight's affair was a little fierce while it lasted maybe, but it's all life! With me, when a thing is over it is forgotten. Next!"

"Next, I must ask a favor of you," he said gently. "Don't be afraid to ask a big one," she said, amazed by his unusualness. "I owe you much. What is it?”

"A private interview with your grandfather.” "Why I rather think that privilege would have been yours anyhow," she mentioned drily. "You informed me a few minutes ago that I was not wanted. ask Grandpa to come out. Tell him about not liking New York. He'll love you to death for it.”

I'll

B

CHAPTER XI

Y now the smiling year was nearly at November, though a northern calendar would have fought

the fact as too preposterous, for, reviving from the fiery blasts of summer, all leaves were growing greener, and the suavity of the air passed description. The poinsettia plants were busily and very thriftily painting their surplus foliage a brilliant scarlet, manufacturing blossoms almost overnight, and blossoms so large that one of them would more than fill a soup plate.

Warned of their approaching season by one or two cool nights, the oranges were turning from green to gold, thus making themselves startlingly visible, seeming to hang fruit where none had been before. The groves were transformed into forests of trimmed Christmas trees.

This particular morning was at sunrise, but not the sunrise of a mountainous land where it comes with misty slowness, first peeping through a gorge, then hiding behind a hill and not appearing again till high enough to come filtering through a screen of boughs and branches, creating almost as many dark shadows as belong to the night which it drives away. No, in level Florida when the sun is up it is up, and leaps into the heavens with the joyous suddenness of a red balloon cut from a string. The nights are filled with enchantment enough; the morning is a fresh business deal, tremendously inspiring.