"And he licked you?"

"All over the place!"

"I wish I'd seen it," said Hedrick, not unsympathetically, but as
a sportsman. And he consented to be led away.

Laura had been standing at the top of the steps looking down the
street, where Corliss and his brisk companion had emerged
momentarily from deep shadows under the trees into the
illumination of a swinging arc-lamp at the corner. They
disappeared; and she turned, and, smiling, gave the delaying guest
her hand in good-night.

His expression, which was somewhat troubled, changed to one of
surprise as her face came into the light, for it was transfigured.
Deeply flushed, her eyes luminous, she wore that shining look
Hedrick had seen as she wrote in her secret book.

"Why, Laura!" said Lindley, wondering.

She said good-night again, and went in slowly. As she reached the
foot of the stairs, she heard him moving a chair upon the porch,
and Cora speaking sharply:

"Please don't sit close to me!" There was a sudden shrillness in
the voice of honey, and the six words were run so rapidly together
they seemed to form but one. After a moment Cora added, with a
deprecatory ripple of laughter not quite free from the same