A Lover and His Lass

going to ask you to do something for me. I want you to take me home with you and introduce me to your uncle and aunt.”

She lifted her head and stared at him incredulously, as if he had asked her to do something wildly impossible. Under- standing from his grave face that he meant what he said, a look of dismay dawned in her eyes. She shook her head almost violently and seemed to be making a passionate, instinctive effort to speak. Then she caught up her pencil and wrote with feverish haste:

“ I cannot do that. Do not ask me to. You do not understand. They would be very angry. They do not want to see any one coming to the house. And they would never let me come here again. Oh, you do not mean it? ”

He pitied her for the pain and bewilder- ment in her eyes; but he took her slender hands in his and said firmly,

“ Yes, Kilmeny, I do mean it. It is not quite right for us to be meeting each other

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