Their lips met upon the words.  And, “For ever and ever!” he made passionate answer, as he held her to his heart.

CHAPTER II

SALTASH

The sunshine was no less bright or the day less full of summer warmth when they floated out upon the lake a little later.  But Juliet’s mood had changed.  She leaned back on Dick’s coat in the stern of the boat, drifting her fingers through the rippling water with a thoughtful face.  Once or twice she only nodded when Dick spoke to her, and he, bending to his sculls, soon fell silent, content to watch her while the golden minutes passed.

The lake was long and narrow, surrounded by woodland trees with coloured water-lilies floating here and there upon its surface—­a fairy spot, mysterious, green as emerald.  The music of the band sounded distant here, almost like the echoes of another world.  They reached the middle of the lake, and Dick suffered his sculls to rest upon the water, sending feathery splashes from their tips that spread in widening circles all around them.

As if in answer to an unspoken word, Juliet’s eyes came up to his.  She faintly smiled.  “Have you brought that woodland pipe of yours?” she asked.

He smiled back at her.  “No, I am keeping that for another occasion.”

She lifted her straight brows interrogatively, without speaking.

He answered her still smiling, but with that in his voice that brought the warm colour to her face.  “For the day when we go away, together, sweetheart, and don’t come back.”

Her eyes sank before his, but in a moment or two she lifted them again, meeting his look with something of an effort.  “I wonder, Dick,” she said slowly, “I wonder if we ever shall.”

He leaned towards her.  “Are you daring me to run away with you?”

She shook her head.  “I should probably turn into something very hideous if you did, and that would be—­rather terrible for both of us.”

“That’s a parable, is it?” He was still looking at her keenly, earnestly.

She made a little gesture of remonstrance, as if his regard were too much for her.  “You can take it as you please.  But as I have no intention of running away with you, perhaps it is beside the point.”

He laughed with a hint of mastery.  “Our intentions on that subject may not be the same.  I’ll back mine against yours any day.”

She smiled at his words though her colour mounted higher.  After a moment she sat up, and laid a hand upon his knee.  “Dick, you’re getting too managing—­much.  I suppose it’s the schoolmaster part of you.  I daresay you find it gets you the upper hand with a good many, but—­it won’t with me.”

His hand was on hers in an instant, she thrilled to the electricity of his touch.  “No—­no!” he said.  “That’s just the soul of me, darling, leaping all the obstacles to reach and hold you.  You’re not going to tell me you have no use for that?”