"I don't mind his knowing," said Celia. "I don't mind anyone knowing;

I'm so proud, so happy!"

Derrick bit his lip and was silent for a moment; then he said

reluctantly, hesitatingly, "Celia, will you mind if I ask you, if I tell you that--that there are

reasons why I want our engagement, our coming marriage, to be kept

secret. Secret between us three."

She looked up at him with slight surprise in her eyes; then she said,

after a momentary pause, "I do not mind. I am sure there are good reasons----"

"Which I'd tell you, I want to tell you," he broke in, frowning; "but I

can't. It's a question of honour----"

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She put her hand on his lips. "There's no need to say any more. I don't

want you to tell me. If it would help you, I will tell you that I guess

it is something to do with that--that trouble which brought us together

and separated us."

Derrick nodded.

"I understand," she said. "Dearest, shall we come to an agreement about

all this? Shall we agree to forget it, to treat it as if it had never

happened?" She pressed his arm and, of her own accord, drew closer to

him. "Let us pretend that you and I met in the wood yesterday, for the

first time."

"Would to God we had!" he broke out; then he went on, quickly,

remorsefully, "No, no, I wouldn't lose that night, our first meeting, in

'the Jail.' That's far too precious a memory, Celia. It was then I fell

in love with you, that you wiped out the past, that you gave me back

life itself. No, I can't lose that. But we'll forget everything

else--for the present, at any rate. Now, let's talk about our--wedding.

I'll get Reggie Rex to help us, and we'll be married as soon as we can.

I shall have done my business in London in a very short time, and we'll

start for the ranch as soon as possible. The country is very beautiful,

the house, the whole place, is charming; you will like the life----"

She smiled up at him. "Yes, I know. But, Sydney, don't you know that I

should like any place, if I lived in it, with you?"

Unconsciously, they had left the wood and were now standing by the gate

on the roadway. It was all so still and solitary that they stood, hand

in hand, looking at each other and lost to everything else in the world;

they were so lost that they did not hear the sound of a carriage coming

round the bend of the road; and Lady Gridborough's jingle was upon them

before they had time to escape. In the little carriage were her ladyship

and Reggie Rex. Celia was the first to see them, and with a faint

exclamation and a burning blush, she gripped Derrick's hand, and looked

round as if to fly into hiding. But they were standing in a little

clearing, and there was no time to get back to the woods. As the jingle

came up to them, Lady Gridborough put up her lorgnette and surveyed

them, "Why, bless me!" she said. "That looks like Celia Grant. It is! Who is

that with her? Celia!" she called. "Celia!"




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