Julia began to feel nervous and uncomfortable.  She did not understand at all what Mark meant by this, but it was impossible to doubt, from his beaming face, that some plan involving her was afoot.  He couldn’t have furnished this apartment in the hope—?

“Whose place is this, Mark?” she asked, trying to laugh naturally.

“Do you like it?” Mark countered, his eyes dancing.

“Like it?  It’s simply sweet, of course!  But whose is it?”

“Well, now listen,” Mark explained.  “It’s Joe Kirk’s furniture; he’s just been married, you know.  He and his wife had just got back from their honeymoon when Joe got an offer of a fine job in New York.  He asked me to see if I couldn’t find a tenant for this--two years’ lease to run—­just as it stands; no raise in rent.  And the rent’s fifty-five?” he called to the woman in the next room.

“Fifty, Mr. Rosenthal,” she answered impassively.

“Fifty!” Mark exulted.  “Think of getting all this for fifty!  Ah, Julia”—­he came close to her as she stood staring down from the window, and lowered his voice—­“will you, darling?  Will you?  You like it, don’t you?  Will you marry me, dearest, and make a little home here with me?” “Oh, Mark!” Julia stammered, a nervous smile twitching her lips.

“Well, why won’t you, Ju?  Do you doubt that I love you?  Answer me that!”

“Why, no—­no, I don’t, of course.”  Julia moved a little away.

“Don’t go over there; she’ll hear us!  And you love me, don’t you, Ju?”

“But not that way I don’t, Mark,” Julia said childishly.

“Oh, ’not that way’—­that’s all rubbish—­that’s the way girls talk; that’s just an expression they have!  Listen!  Do you doubt that I’ll always, always love you?”

“Oh, no, Mark, of course not!” Julia admitted.  “But I don’t want to marry any one—­”

“Well, what do you want?  Haven’t I loved you since you were a little girl?”

“Yes, I know—­of course you have!  Only”—­Julia gave him a desperate smile—­“only I can’t discuss such things here,” she pleaded, “with that woman so near!”

“You’re right!” Mark said, with military promptness, and as one who loves to receive his lady’s orders.  “We’ll go out.  Only—­I wanted you to see it!”

And as they went out he must stop to show her the admirably deep drawers of the little sideboard and the ingenious arrangement by which the gas was electrically lighted.

They thanked the woman, and began the long ride back to the settlement house, for Julia never left Miss Toland long alone.  In the Sacramento Street car they both had to stand, but Mark found seats without difficulty on the dummy of the Fillmore Street car, and laying his arm along the back of Julia’s seat, swung about so that his face was very close to hers.  A world of wistful tenderness filled his voice as he said again: 

“Well, darling, what do you think of it?”