"You can't send me to Florida," she returned, "and that's where
everybody goes at this season."

A trembling like that of faintness which is fought off by an effort of
will ran over her, and he watched the pale, unsteady quiver of her
eyelids.

"I will send you there--I'll send you anywhere," he said, "if you will
promise me--"

The words were hard to come, and while he stumbled over them she looked
up with a startled exclamation. Her glance travelling to his face, swept
over the desk beside which he stood and was arrested by the pile of
unpaid bills, which he had pushed, as he spoke, further away from the
lamp light. A hot, angry flush overspread her face, and she made a
nervous movement that brought her to her feet with a spring.

"You had no right to look at them," she burst out sharply, "they are all
wrong. Half of them were not meant for me."

The lie was so foolish, so ineffectual and without excuse, that he
flinched and turned his eyes away--for the shame of it seemed to belong
less to her than to himself. At the instant he was conscious of a
stinging sensation in his veins as of a man who realises for the first
time that he has fallen into dishonour.

"I did not mean to mention that--at least not now," he said quickly.
"We'll call it off and try to keep clean out of debt in the future. I
fear your allowance does seem rather shabby to you, but it can't be
helped. It takes every cent of the balance to run the house and pay my