claim his close attention.

"Lew," she said, "what is marriage?"

Lewis turned and looked down at her. They were both seventeen, but his
inch start of her had grown to half a foot.

"Marriage? Why, marriage----" He stopped. A faint color flared in his
cheeks. He looked away from her. Then he said calmly: "Marriage, Nat, is
just mating--like birds mate. First you see them flying about anyhow;
then two fly together. They build a nest; they mate; they have little
birds. The little birds grow up and do the whole thing over again.
That's--that's marriage."

"So?" said Natalie. A little frown came to her brows. Was that marriage,
indeed? Then she shook the frown from her. "Lew," she said gravely, but
placidly, "they tell me I'm to marry Dom Francisco. Isn't it--isn't it
_funny_?"

Lewis stopped in his tracks and shook her hand from his arm. His eyes
flared.

"What did you say? They tell you--_who_ told you?"

"Why, Lew!" cried Natalie, tears in her eyes and her lips twitching.

"There, there, Nat," said Lewis, softly. He laid his arm across her
shoulders in an awkward gesture of affection. "Tell me, Nat. Who was it
told you--told you that?"