What had he been thinking about a moment before?  Oh, yes, he had been considering the danger of overdoing the falling in love business.  Well, there was a proverb about its being better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.  Wade agreed with those sentiments.  To go head over ears in love with some nice girl like—­well, like Evelyn Walton—­even if you got turned down was better than nothing.  Of course the girl mustn’t know.  It wasn’t a part of his plan to worry her any.  He was quite certain that if he was careful she needn’t even guess his sentiments.  Perhaps—­well, what if it was nonsense?  A fellow could think nonsense if he wanted to, couldn’t he, on a day like this?  Perhaps she might care for him enough to marry him!  There wasn’t any reason why he shouldn’t marry.  He had plenty of money and would have more; he could give the woman that married him about as much as the next man.  She could have a house in New York if she wanted it!  And servants and—­and motors and—­all the things a woman usually wants.  Of course he didn’t want to be married for his money, but—­well, he wondered whether it would help if he managed to convey the idea that he was pretty well off, that he owned more than a controlling interest in one of the richest gold mines in Colorado.  Undoubtedly there were girls who would jump at the chance to marry the principal owner of a mine like the—­

He stopped with a gasp.

Great Scott! she mustn’t hear the name of that mine!  At least, not unless things turned out as they never could turn out.  He groaned.  He would have to watch himself every minute when he was with her or he would be blurting it out!

He found himself confronted by a fence, beyond which a wooded hill sloped upward.  Should he return the way he had come, or—­no, he could commit trespass on somebody’s wheat field and so in all probability reach the highway.  Five minutes later he found himself on the road and started back towards the cottage.  He rather hoped that Miss Walton would not be on her front porch as he went by.  He wasn’t quite ready yet to show himself.  It was a good ten minutes’ walk to the end of the common, but he was so busy with his thoughts that he paid little attention to time or distance.  He only came to himself when he suddenly found the lilac hedge beside him and the gate hospitably open.  He walked up the steps, dimly conscious that his cottage looked this morning far less disreputable than it had seemed yesterday, and tried the front door.  He didn’t remember whether he had locked it last night.  But evidently he had not, for it swung open and he found himself staring blankly into a pair of very lovely and much surprised blue eyes.

VI.

Time passed.