Undine, recovering herself, held out her hand impulsively.

“I’m real glad of it—­I mean I’m real glad you’ve had such a stroke of luck!”

“Much obliged,” he returned.  “By the way, you might mention the fact to Abner E. Spragg next time you run across him.”

“Father’ll be real glad too, Elmer.”  She hesitated, and then went on:  “You must see now that it was natural father and mother should have felt the way they did—­”

“Oh, the only thing that struck me as unnatural was their making you feel so too.  But I’m free to admit I wasn’t a promising case in those days.”  His glance played over her for a moment.  “Say, Undine—­it was good while it lasted, though, wasn’t it?”

She shrank back with a burning face and eyes of misery.

“Why, what’s the matter?  That ruled out too?  Oh, all right.  Look at here, Undine, suppose you let me know what you are here to talk about, anyhow.”

She cast a helpless glance down the windings of the wooded glen in which they had halted.

“Just to ask you—­to beg you—­not to say anything of this kind again—­ever—­”

“Anything about you and me?”

She nodded mutely.

“Why, what’s wrong?  Anybody been saying anything against me?”

“Oh, no.  It’s not that!”

“What on earth is it, then—­except that you’re ashamed of me, one way or another?” She made no answer, and he stood digging the tip of his walking-stick into a fissure of the asphalt.  At length he went on in a tone that showed a first faint trace of irritation:  “I don’t want to break into your gilt-edged crowd, if it’s that you’re scared of.”

His tone seemed to increase her distress.  “No, no—­you don’t understand.  All I want is that nothing shall be known.”

“Yes; but why?  It was all straight enough, if you come to that.”

“It doesn’t matter ... whether it was straight ... or ... not ...”  He interpolated a whistle which made her add:  “What I mean is that out here in the East they don’t even like it if a girl’s been engaged before.”

This last strain on his credulity wrung a laugh from Moffatt.  “Gee!  How’d they expect her fair young life to pass?  Playing ‘Holy City’ on the melodeon, and knitting tidies for church fairs?”

“Girls are looked after here.  It’s all different.  Their mothers go round with them.”

This increased her companion’s hilarity and he glanced about him with a pretense of compunction.  “Excuse me!  I ought to have remembered.  Where’s your chaperon, Miss Spragg?” He crooked his arm with mock ceremony.  “Allow me to escort you to the bew-fay.  You see I’m onto the New York style myself.”

A sigh of discouragement escaped her.  “Elmer—­if you really believe I never wanted to act mean to you, don’t you act mean to me now!”

“Act mean?” He grew serious again and moved nearer to her.  “What is it you want, Undine?  Why can’t you say it right out?”