“It was exceedingly kind of you to grant such privilege when we have scarcely even spoken to each other before.”

She glanced aside at his grave face, a certain coquettish smile making her appear suddenly girlish.

“Possibly if you realized the exact cause of my complete surrender you might not feel so highly flattered,” she confessed, shyly.

“Indeed!  You mean why it was you consented so easily?  Then possibly you had better inform me at once, for I acknowledge feeling quite conceited already at my good fortune.”

She lifted her eyes questioningly, and for the first time he looked directly down into their unveiled depths.

“Then I must certainly make confession.  What if I should say, I merely accepted the lesser of two evils—­in short, preferred your company to something I considered infinitely worse?”

“You refer to Mooney?”

She nodded, her dark eyes once again shadowed, her cheeks slightly reddening beneath his steady gaze.

“Why, I can scarcely feel greatly flattered at being made the subject of such a choice,” Winston acknowledged with frankness.  “The very conception brings me uneasiness in fear lest my presence may be unwelcome now that Mooney has been safely left behind.  Yet it yields me boldness also, and I venture to ask Miss Norvell what she would probably have answered had Mooney been left out of the problem entirely?”

His low voice held a ring of subdued earnestness, and the face of the woman as quickly lost its smile.  An instant she hesitated, her eyes downcast, fully conscious he was anxiously searching her countenance for the exact truth.

“And under those conditions,” she responded finally, “Miss Norvell would very probably have answered yes, only it would have been more deliberately uttered, so that you should have realized the measure of her condescension.”

Winston laughed.

“You can have small conception of the intense relief brought me by that last acknowledgment,” he explained cheerfully.  “Now I can proceed with clear conscience, and shall undoubtedly discover in the church service an expression of my own devout gratitude.”

It was an exceedingly alert exchange of words which followed, each cautiously exploring a way in toward a somewhat clearer understanding of the other, yet both becoming quickly convinced that they were not destined for ordinary acquaintanceship.  To Miss Norvell observing her companion with shy intentness, this erect, manly young fellow with weather-browned, clean-shaven face and straightforward gray eyes seemed to evince a power of manhood she instinctively felt and surrendered to.  His were those elements which a woman of her nature must instantly recognize—­physical strength and daring, combined with mental acuteness and indomitable will.  The fact of his present unworthy employment added the fascination of mystery to his personality, for it was manifestly impossible