“Boo!”

Peter did not jump at the Boo.  He looked up very calmly, but the moment he looked up, jump he did.  He jumped so that he was shaking hands before the impetus was lost.

“This is the nicest kind of a surprise,” he said.

“Bother you, you phlegmatic old cow,” cried a merry voice.  “Here we have spent ten minutes palavering your boy, in order to make him let us surprise you, and then when we spring it on you, you don’t budge.  Wasn’t it shabby treatment, Dot?”

“You’ve disappointed us awfully, Mr. Stirling.”

Peter was shaking hands more deliberately with Leonore than he had with Watts.  He had been rather clever in shaking hands with him first, so that he need not hurry himself over the second.  So he had a very nice moment—­all too short—­while Leonore’s hand lay in his.  He said, in order to prolong the moment, without making it too marked, “It will take something more frightful than you, Miss D’Alloi, to make me jump.”  Then Peter was sorry he had said it, for Leonore dropped her eyes.

“Now, old man, give an account of yourself.”  Watts was speaking jauntily, but not quite as easily as he usually did.  “Here Leonore and I waited all last evening, and you never came.  So she insisted that we come this morning.”

“I don’t understand?” Peter was looking at Leonore as if she had made the remark.  Leonore was calmly examining Peter’s room.

“Why, even a stranger would have called last night to inquire about Dot’s health, after such an accident.  But for you not to do it, was criminal.  If you have aught to say why sentence should not now be passed on you, speak now or forever—­no—­that’s the wedding ceremony, isn’t it?  Not criminal sentence—­though, on second thought, there’s not much difference.”

“Did you expect me, Miss D’Alloi?”

Miss D’Alloi was looking at a shelf of law books with her back to Peter, and was pretending great interest in them.  She did not turn, but said “Yes.”

“I wish I had known that,” said Peter, with the sincerest regret in his voice.

Miss D’Alloi’s interest in legal literature suddenly ceased.  She turned and Peter had a momentary glimpse of those wonderful eyes.  Either his words or tone had evidently pleased Miss D’Alloi.  The corners of her mouth were curving upwards.  She made a deep courtesy to him and said:  “You will be glad to know, Mr. Stirling, that Miss D’Alloi has suffered no serious shock from her runaway, and passed a good night.  It seemed to Miss D’Alloi that the least return she could make for Mr. Stirling’s kindness, was to save him the trouble of coming to inquire about Miss D’Alloi’s health, and so leave Mr. Stirling more time to his grimy old law books.”

“There, sir, I hope you are properly crushed for your wrong-doing,” cried Watts.

“I’m not going to apologize for not coming,” said Peter, “for that is my loss; but I can say that I’m sorry.”