"When Owen marries? That's looking some distance ahead! I
want to be told that meanwhile you'll have no regrets."

She hesitated. Why did he press her to uncover to him her
poor starved past? A vague feeling of loyalty, a desire to
spare what could no longer harm her, made her answer
evasively: "There will probably be no 'meanwhile.' Owen may
marry before long."

She had not meant to touch on the subject, for her step-son
had sworn her to provisional secrecy; but since the
shortness of Darrow's leave necessitated a prompt adjustment
of their own plans, it was, after all, inevitable that she
should give him at least a hint of Owen's.

"Owen marry? Why, he always seems like a faun in flannels! I
hope he's found a dryad. There might easily be one left in
these blue-and-gold woods."

"I can't tell you yet where he found his dryad, but she
IS one, I believe: at any rate she'll become the Givre
woods better than I do. Only there may be difficulties----"

"Well! At that age they're not always to be wished away."

She hesitated. "Owen, at any rate, has made up his mind to
overcome them; and I've promised to see him through."

She went on, after a moment's consideration, to explain that
her step-son's choice was, for various reasons, not likely