"I hope you may, I'm sure," she answered wearily. "Yet you will excuse
me if I say that I don't understand how it concerns me, or why you
should keep me out here in the cold to tell me about it."

"Don't you? It concerns you very nearly. You are the woman, Miss
Carteret."

"Indeed? And if I decline the honor?"

The contingency was one for which the suitor seemed not entirely
prepared. Yet he evinced a willingness to meet the hypothesis in a
spirit of perfect candor.

"You wouldn't do that, definitely, I fancy. It would be tantamount to
driving me to extremities."

"If you will tell me how I can do it 'definitely,' I shall be most
happy to drive you to extremities, or anywhere else out of my way,"
she said frigidly.

"Oh, I think not," he rejoined. "You wouldn't want me to go and tell
Mr. Darrah how you have betrayed him to Mr. Winton. I had the singular
good fortune to overhear you conversation--yours and Mr. Winton's, you
know; and if Mr. Darrah knew, he would cut you out of his will with
very little compunction, don't you think? And, really, you mustn't
throw yourself away on that sentimental Tommy of an engineer, Miss
Virginia. He'll never be able to give you the position you're fitted
for."