Miss Jessie."

He evidently was in earnest. Was there ever anything so perfectly
preposterous? She became indignant.

"Of course," she said coldly, "I won't detain you; your business must
be urgent, and I forgot--at least I had forgotten until to-day--that
you have other duties more important than that of squire of dames. I am
afraid this forgetfulness made me think you would not part from us in
quite such a business fashion. I presume, if you had not met me just
now, we should none of us have seen you again?"

He did not reply.

"Will you say good-by, Miss Carr?"

He held out his hand.

"One moment, Mr. Kearney. If I have said anything which you think
justifies this very abrupt leave-taking, I beg you will forgive and
forget it--or, at least, let it have no more weight with you than the
idle words of any woman. I only spoke generally. You know--I--I might be
mistaken."

His eyes, which had dilated when she began to speak, darkened; his
color, which had quickly come, as quickly sank when she had ended.

"Don't say that, Miss Carr. It is not like you, and--it is useless. You
know what I meant a moment ago. I read it in your reply. You meant that
I, like others, had deceived myself. Did you not?"