tea.

Her uncle, who had been silent during the excitement, mildly
interposed:

"I think we needn't go too fast, young people! You've only known
each other a few weeks, after all; you must be pretty sure of
yourselves before taking anything like a decisive step. Plenty of
time--plenty of time. Mr. Lloyd can go back to his mine, and
Cherry will wait for him--"

Cherry's wild-rose face coloured, and her whole body drooped.

"But I can be getting ready, and I can tell people, Dad?" she
pleaded.

"We'll see," her father promised her, soothingly. He had promised
her thus vaguely when, as an imperative baby years ago, she had
wanted the impossible. But she was not a baby now.

"Ah, now--that won't do!" she pouted.

"You must give me a little time to get used to the idea of losing
my baby, pretty," her father said. "I confess that this thing
seems to have come upon me rather unexpectedly. Mr. Lloyd here and
I must have some talks about his plans--"

"I know exactly how you feel, Doctor," Martin said, sensibly and
sympathetically. "I realize that I should have come to you first,
and asked to pay my respects to your daughter--laugh, why don't