When he had settled himself, my companion said, “Now, Syb, I’m ready for you.  Fire away.  But wait a minute, I’ve got something here for you which I hope you’ll like.”

As he searched in his pockets, I noticed that his eye had quite recovered, though there was still a slight mark on his cheek.  He handed me a tiny morocco case, which on being opened disclosed a costly ring.  I have about as much idea of the prices of things as a turkey would have.  Perhaps that ring cost thirty pounds or possibly fifty guineas, for all I know.  It was very heavy, and had a big diamond supported on either side by a large sapphire, and had many small gems surrounding it.

“Let me see if it fits,” he said, taking my hand; but I drew it away.

“No; don’t you put it on.  That would make us irrevocably engaged.”

“Isn’t that what we intend to be?” he said in a tone of surprise.

“Not just yet; that is what I want to say to you.  We will have three months’ probation to see how we get on.  At the end of that time, if we manage to sail along smoothly, we’ll have the real thing; until then we will not be any more than we have been to each other.”

“But what am I to do in the meantime?” he asked, with amusement curving the corners of his mouth.

“Do!  Do the usual thing, of course; but don’t pay me any special attentions, or I’ll be done with you at once.”

“What’s your idea for this?”

“It is no use making fools of ourselves; we might change our minds.”

“Very well; so be it,” he said laughing.  I might have known you would have things arranged different from any other girl.  But you’ll take the ring and wear it, won’t you?  Let me put it on.”

“No; I won’t let you put a finger on me till the three months are up.  Then, if we definitely make up our minds, you can put it on; but till then, don’t for the life of you hint by word or sign that we have any sort of an arrangement between us.  Give me the ring and I’ll wear it sometimes.”

He handed it to me again, and I tried it on.  It was a little large.  Harold took it, and tried to put it on one of his fingers.  It would fit on none but the very top of his little finger.  We laughed heartily at the disparity in the size of our hands.

“I’ll agree to your bargain,” he said.  “But you’ll be really engaged to me all the same.`

“Yes; under those conditions.  Then it will not matter if we have a tiff.  We can part, and no one will be the wiser.”

On my suggesting that it was now time to go to the house, he swung himself down by a branch and turned to assist me.  Descending from that tree was a feat which presented no difficulties to me when no one was by, but now it seemed an awkward performance.

“Just lead your horse underneath, so that I can get on to his back, thence to the ground quite easily,” I said.

“No fear!  Warrigal wouldn’t stand that kind of dodge.  Won’t I do?  I don’t think your weight will quite squash me,” he returned, placing himself in leap-frog position, and I stepped on to his back and slid from there to the ground quite easily.