"
"Oh, don't do that," cried his fiancee affrightedly. "The shock would kill
her outright."
"The other way,--" said Jack slowly, "would be for me to marry you and let
her think that you _are_ Janice in good earnest."
"Oh, that wouldn't do at all," said the pretty widow. "In the first place
she would go crazy at the idea of her darling nephew's marrying her
maid,--and in the second place--"
"Well,--in the second place?"
"I wouldn't marry you,--I said I wouldn't and I won't. You're too young."
"But you've promised to marry me some day."
"Yes, I know--but not till--not till--"
"Not till when?"
"I haven't just decided," said Mrs. Rosscott, airily. "Not for a good
while, not until you seem to require marrying at my hands."
"I never shall require marrying at anyone else's hands," the lover vowed,
"but if you are so set about it as all that comes to, I shall not cut up
rough for a while. Aunt Mary is the main question just now--not you."
"I know," said his lady in anything but a jealous tone, "and as she is the
question, what are we to do?"
"You will go to bed," he said, kissing her, "and I will go to think."
"Can you see any way?" she asked anxiously.
Then he put his hands on either side of her face and turned it up to his
own.
"You plotted once and overthrew my aunt," he said. "It's my turn now."
"Are you going to plot?"
"I'm going to try."
"I'll pray for your success," she whispered.
"Pray for me," he answered, and shortly after they had achieved the feat
of saying good-night and parting once more, and the result of it all had
been that Jack found himself tipping back and forth on the small chair, in
the big room, at half-past midnight, puzzled, perturbed, and very much
perplexed as to what to do first when the next morning should have become
a settled fact.
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