Passion was once more kindling in his eyes, and Alice Deringham, who saw it, rose stiffly upright, holding on to her last strength.  Her face was very weary, but there was something in her eyes which restrained the man.

“I can bear no more,” she said, with a downward glance at the long black dress.  “Have you forgotten?  You have shown me what a man can rise to, Harry Alton, but I will not wrong you further by marrying you.  Now you must say nothing, but out of pity for me go away.”

The appeal was effective, for Alton bent his head.  “I am going—­but there is nothing impossible, and I will come back,” he said, and moved slowly towards the stairway.

Alice Deringham watched him cross the garden, and then the last vestige of the resolution that had sustained her melted, and she went very wearily into the house, where, as it happened, Mrs. Forel was waiting for her.  The elder lady asked no questions, for she saw her face, but drew the girl very gently down beside her.

“I am sorry, my dear,” she said.

Alice Deringham let her head sink down upon her companion’s shoulder and sobbed aloud.

“There can be very few men like Harry Alton,” she said disjointedly.  “And because I could not abuse his goodness I sent him away.”

CHAPTER XXXIV

THE CONSUMMATION

It was hot outside in the noisy streets, but the Somasco Consolidated offices were quiet and cool when Alton entertained two of his friends there one afternoon.  There is no special sanctity attached to a place of business in the West, and nobody who knew Alton would have been astonished to find plates of fruit upon the papers which littered his table, and a spirit lamp burning on the big empty stove.  A very winsome young lady also sat in a lounge-chair, and Forel close by glanced at her with a most unbusinesslike twinkle in his eyes.  Seaforth had been married recently, and his wife had called in to see, so she told Alton, that he was not working him too hard.

“You will give Mrs. Charley some tea,” said Alton.  “Your husband, madam, has been brought up well, but there was a time when I had real trouble in teaching him.  Forel, you’ll find some ice and soda yonder as well as the other things.”

Nellie Seaforth laughed a little as she thrust the cup away.  “No,” she said; “I know where that tea comes from, and I would sooner have some ice and soda with out the other things.  Have the strawberries gone up, Harry?”

Alton nodded.  “That’s a fact, and I am very glad,” he said.  “You see, we are sending out about a ton of them every day, and there are none to equal ours in the Dominion.  Still, if Charley wasn’t so lazy he’d give you some.  Can’t you find that ice, Forel?  There was a big lump yesterday.”

“That is quite possible,” said Forel dryly, “but it has gone, and it is apparently running out of your plans and estimates now.”