There was something sublime rather than ridiculous in his assurance.  Toby caught her breath again as if about to laugh, and then quite suddenly, wholly unexpectedly, she began to cry.

“You poor little darling!” said Bunny.

She leaned her head upon his shoulder, fighting great sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.  It was not often that Toby cried, and this was no mere child’s distress.  Indeed there was about it something that filled her companion with a curious kind of awe.  He held her closely and comfortingly, but for some reason he could not speak to her, could not even attempt to seek the cause of her trouble.  As his sister had done before him, though almost unconsciously, he sensed a barrier that he might not pass.

Toby regained her self-command at last, stood for a space in silence, her face still hidden, then abruptly raised it and uttered a little quivering laugh.

“You great big silly!” she said.  “I’m not going to marry you, so there!  Now let me go!”

Her tone and action put him instantly at his ease.  This was the Toby he knew.

“Yes, you are going to marry me.  And I shan’t let you go,” he said.  “So there!”

She looked him straight in the face.  “No, Bunny!” she said, with a little catch in her breath.  “You’re a dear to think of it, but it won’t do.”

“Why not?” demanded Bunny.

She hesitated.

He squeezed her shoulders.  “Tell me why not!”

“I don’t want to tell you,” said Toby.

“You’ve got to,” he said with decision.

In the dimness his eyes looked into hers.  A little shiver went through Toby.  “I don’t want to,” she said again.

“Go on!” commanded Bunny, autocratically.

She turned suddenly and set her hands against his breast.  “Well then, because I’m years and years older than you are—­”

“Rot!” interjected Bunny.

“And—­I’m not good enough for you!” finished Toby rather tremulously.

“Rats!” said Bunny.

“No, it isn’t rats.”  She contradicted him rather piteously.  “You’ve turned a silly game into deadly earnest, and you shouldn’t—­you shouldn’t.  I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known.  It’s such a mistake—­it’s always such a great mistake—­to do that.  You say we can’t go back to where we were before, but we can—­we can.  Let’s try—­anyway!”

“We can’t,” said Bunny with decision.  “And there’s no reason why we should.  Look here!  You don’t want to marry anyone else, do you?”

“I don’t want to marry at all,” said Toby.

He laughed at that.  “Darling, of course you’ll marry.  Come!  You might as well have me first as last.  You won’t get any other fellow to suit you half as well.  What?  Say you’ll have me!  Come, you’ve got to.  You don’t hate me, do you?”

Again the pleading note was in his voice.  She responded to it almost involuntarily.  Her hands slipped upwards to his shoulders.