spoke the secretary's anger cooled and he breathed again.

"No: a thousand times, no!" she burst out passionately; and Winton
staggered as if the suddenly-freed hand had dealt him a blow.




X

SPIKED SWITCHES


For a little time after Virginia's passionate rejection of him Winton
stood abashed and confounded. Weighed in the balance of the
after-thought, his sudden and unpremeditated declaration could plead
little excuse in encouragement. And yet she had been exceedingly kind
to him.

"I have no right to expect a better answer," he said finally, when he
could trust himself to speak. "But I am like other men: I should like
to know why."

"You can ask that?" she retorted. "You say you have no right: what
have you done to expect a better answer?"

He shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose. But you knew that before."

"I only know what you have shown me during the past three weeks, and
it has proved that you are what Mr. Adams said you were--though he was