friendship."

I bowed low, without speaking, and after another long pause he looked up
to me again as he asked:--

"Now will you take my hand?"

"Gladly, George," I answered, giving him my hand, which he held for a
moment and dropped without a word, a strange smile playing about his
lips.

Naturally enough, Frances was at a loss how to act. Tears of vexation
came to her eyes, and she turned from us to dry them with her
handkerchief. She failed to find the handkerchief, so she turned to
George, who, seeing her need, drew it from his pocket where she had left
it for safe-keeping. The first favor a young girl shows to a man when
she finds herself in a "coming on disposition" is to hide some of her
intimate personal belongings in his pocket. The little incident of the
handkerchief caused us all to laugh and went a long way toward making us
easy.

Hamilton's frankness had taken part of the wind out of my sails, and his
open confession had at least paved the way for absolution, which I feared
might be followed by disastrous results, since to forgive always makes
the heart grow fonder.

Presently Hamilton turned to Frances, saying: "You may better appreciate
your cousin's fidelity to your interest when I tell you that in speaking
thus frankly to you, he placed himself in danger of two misfortunes, both
of which, probably, he felt sure would befall him. Please do not think