He laid a hand upon both hers. "You must say 'yes.' You've got to say
'yes' about twenty times this morning, so start now. Do you know what
I'm going to talk about?"

"Yes."

"No objections this time?"

"Yes."

He laughed; gave her hand a little smack of reproof. (You who have
loved will excuse these lovers' absurdities.) "No, no; you are only to
say 'yes' when I tell you. No objections to the subject this morning?"

His Mary told him "No."

"Couldn't have a better morning for it, could we?"

She took a little catch at her breath.

George dropped the banter in his tone. "Nothing wrong to-day, is
there, dear? Nothing up?"

How sadly wrong everything in truth was she had determined not to tell
him until she more certainly knew its extent. She shook her head;
reassuringly smiled.

"Well, that's all right--there couldn't be on a morning like this. Now
we've got to begin at the beginning. Mary, I planned it all out last
night--all this conversation. We've got to begin at the beginning--Do