New Britain herald., 1925-10-10
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 --u- By. RUBY II AIRES O hs:s .srs.

q! all; he has been most kind"
 Are you trying 10 make me icalous?"
 You know I am not but so on, Peter, I want 10 hear so much more: how did you when did you oh, you know what I mean"
 What are you thinking?" Peter asked. You don't believe mo yet do you? you are not quite sure" He moved closer to her.
 What is it?" he asked, passion ately. "oh, my dear! What is it?"
 Mans lips auiyered.
 Its it's only oh" she said, with a sudden burst of very real angnish,"if you haven't loved me all this time, how can you really love me now? There will all ways be those months and weeks when I wasn't anything to you -- when when I didn't count at all."
 It seemed long time before Lyster answered her. He stood there in the half-light looking past her into the wood. and there was a deep sadness in his face.
 Then he said slowly, as if he were carefully choosing his words:
 T don't know how to answer that question. dear. but I have al- ways loved you I must always have loved you. Nan, because no other woman has ever interested me"
 She did not raise her eyes; there was still something she must say.
 There is Mrs. Mears ." she said. in whisper.
 There was a moment of amazed silence; then Peter laughed. He laughed with such frank surprise and tender scorn that tears of relief stung Mans eyes.
 You're not serious" he said. "Why l never gave her a serious thought. She was very good to me, but she always talked about her husband poor chap. If ever wom- an loved a man I should say that she loved him"
 'Mr. Sefton told me" Nan be- gan hurriedly; but Peter stopped her.
 'I forbid you to speak that mans name. He never spoke the truth in his life. l shall take good care to let everyone know how he tried to thrash Claudio, and that's not a pleasant thing for man to have up against him"
 You forget that father owes him money. He'll be more bitter than ever now
 Your father owes him nothing. Nan, have you forgotten that I'm not quite a pauper?'
 She raised her startled eyes to his face.
 You mean that you you paid him" she asked in whisper,
 T would do a great deal moro than that for you.' He took her face in the hollow of his hands. Nan, I shall never be able to make 1t up to you - if I live to be a hundred for these last weeks
 She closed her eyes.
 T want to forget them. I don't want ever to think of them again. Already they were slipping into the backgrounds; already the dread full feeling of happiness irrevocably lost was less acute, She laid her cheek against Peters arm with a little sigh.
 T ought to be going" she said. Joan will wonder where I am. I never told her l was coming out" You're not going back till you say that you've forgiven me - till you say that everything is just as it was, only better that you love me quite as well -- that you never cared straw for sefton, or John Arnott." His voice grew suddenly grave. Man. supposing you'd mar ried somebody else, and I had not found out till too late that - that you" He put his arms round her with sudden fierceness. 'I think 1t would have killed me-" he said pas sionately.
 Nan put her arms round his neck and laid her cheek to his. Somehow it seemed quite easy to let him know now how much she cared. She marveled that in theaold days she had been 80 shy and undemon- strative.
 And darling when will you marry me?" Peter asked fiji a whisper.
 She stirred uneasily.
 There are the boys; I can't leave them"
 T don't ask you to except for honeymoon; you can't expect me to take them all along with us?" he submitted whimsically.
 She laughed.
 T don't think I should mind even that - if we were together"
 She raised her head suddenly. That was someone calling - it must be Joan. :. Come - we must go pack.
 He caught her to him and kiss ed her again - long kiss that swept away the last doubt and shadow between them, then they went back down the road hand ir hand.
 Joan met them at the gate-her small face looked pale and startled in the faint moonlight.
 "Oh, thank goodness" she said when she saw Nan. T thought Then she recognized Peter. and drew long sigh of relief.
 And this, suppose" she said breathlessly, Is the end of the story"
 Peter Lyster looked at Nan g I look that brought a lump to Joan's