And is this to be the end of it all? In a flash the coming of the
girl is present before him, and now, here is her going. Had he--had
she--what _was_ it he meant? No wonder if her girlish fancy had
fixed itself on this tall, handsome, young man, with his kindly,
merry ways and honest meaning. Ah! that was what she meant perhaps
when last night she had told him "she would not be a worry to him
_long!"_ Yes, she had meant that; that she was going to marry
Hardinge!

But to _know_ what Hardinge means! A torturing vision of a little
lovely figure, gowned all in white--of a little lovely face
uplifted--of another face down bent! No! a thousand times, no!
Hardinge would not speak of that--it would be too sacred; and yet
this awful doubt----

"Look here. I'll tell you," says Hardinge's voice at this moment.
"After all, you are her guardian--her father almost--though I know
you scarcely relish your position; and you ought to know about it,
and perhaps you can give me your opinion, too, as to whether there
was anything in it, you know. The fact is, I,"--rather
shamefacedly--"asked her for a flower out of her bouquet, and she
gave it. That was all, and," hurriedly, "I don't really believe she
meant anything _by_ giving it, only," with a nervous laugh, "I keep
hoping she _did!"_

A long, long sigh comes through the professor's lips straight from
his heart. Only a flower she gave him! Well----

"What do _you_ think?" asks Hardinge after a long pause.