“Would it be—­quite so ’crazily—­utterly’—­if ... well, if we were engaged?”

The tremendous word was out; and the effect on her was unmistakable.  Colour stirred visibly in her face.  She straightened herself with an air that seemed physically to increase the distance between them.

“Really, Roy—­have you quite lost your senses to-day?”

He looked—­and felt—­crestfallen.  “But, Tara,” he urged, “it’s such a supreme idea.  Wouldn’t you—­think of it, ever?  We’d fit like a pair of gloves.  Mummy would love it—­extravagantly.  And we’ve been kind of—­caring all these years.  At least”—­sudden doubt assailed him—­“I suppose you do care still—­a little bit?”

“Silly boy!  Of course I—­care ... a lot.”

That was more like the Tara he knew.  “Very well. Why accuse me of incipient lunacy?  I care, too.  Always have done.  Think how topping it would be, you and I together, exploring all the wonderland of our Game and Mummy’s tales—­Udaipur, Amber, Chitor, perhaps the shrine of the real Tara——­”

Still demurely distant, she thought “how topping it would be”; and the thought kept her silent so long that he grew impatient.

“High Tower Princess—­do give over.  Your grown-up airs are awfully sweet—­but not to the point.  You are coming?  It’ll spoil everything now, if you don’t.”

She shook her head with a small wise smile that seemed to push him away from her, gently yet inexorably; to make him feel little more than a schoolboy confronted by a woman; very young in her new shyness and dignity, but still—­a woman.

“No, Roy—­I’m not coming.  It’s—­dear of you to want me.  But I can’t—­for lots of reasons.  So please understand, once for all.  And don’t fuss.”

“But you said—­you cared,” Roy murmured blankly.

“Of course I do.  Only—­there’s caring—­and caring ... since you make me say it.  You must know that by now.  Anyway, I know we simply can’t get married just because we’re very fond of each other and it would please ‘Mummy’ and be convenient for India.”

Roy sighed portentously.  He found himself feeling younger and younger with every smiling, reasonable word she uttered.  It was all so unlike his eager, fiery Tara that perplexity tempered a little his genuine dismay.

“I s’pose you’re right,” he grudgingly admitted.  “But I’m fearfully disappointed.”

“You are now.  You won’t be afterwards.  It’s not marrying time for you—­yet.  You’ve lots of big things to do first.  Go out to India and do them.  Then—­when the time really comes, you’ll understand—­and you’ll be grateful to me—­for understanding now.  There, what a lecture!  But the point is—­we can’t:  and I won’t be badgered about it. I’m going back to tea; and if you don’t come, I’ll have to tell Aunt Lila—­why?”

He sighed.  “I’ll probably tell her myself to-night.  Would you mind?”

“N-no, she’ll understand.”