“But there isn’t a bit of harm done,” went on Madeline.  “You see, I knew that first night on the train that you were a gentleman.”

“Some gentlemen are rotters,” said Ted Holiday, with a wisdom beyond his twenty years.

“But you are not.”

“No, I’m not; but some other chap might be.  That is why I wish you would promise not to go in for this sort of thing.”

“With anybody but you,” she stipulated.

“Not with anybody at all,” corrected Ted soberly, remembering his own recent restrained impulse to put his arm around her.

“Well, I don’t want to—­at least not with anybody but you.  I never did it before with anybody.  Honest, Ted, I never did.”

“That’s good.  I felt sure that you hadn’t.”

“Why?”

He grinned sheepishly and stooped to break off a dry twig from a nearby bush.

“By the way you didn’t let me kiss you,” he admitted.  “A fellow likes that in a girl.  Did you know it?” He tossed away the twig and looked back at the girl as he asked the question.

“I thought they liked—­the other thing.”

“They do and they don’t,” said Ted, his paradox again betraying a scarcely to be expected wisdom.  “But that is neither here nor there.  What I started out to say was that I’m glad you don’t make a practice of this pick-up business.  It—­it’s no good,” he summed up.

“I know.”  Madeline nodded understanding of the import of his warning.  She was far too handsome and too prematurely developed physically to be devoid of experience of the ways of the opposite sex.  Like Ophelia she knew there were tricks in the world and she liked frank Ted Holiday the better for reminding her of them.  “I won’t do it,” she promised.  “That is, unless you don’t ever come back yourself.  I don’t know what I’ll do then—­something awful, maybe.”

“I’ll come fast enough.  I’ll come to-morrow.” he added obeying a sudden impulse, Ted fashion.

“Will you?” The girl’s face flushed with delight.  “When?”

“To-morrow afternoon.  I can’t dodge the ivy stuff in the morning.  Will four o’clock do all right?”

“Yes.  Come here to this same place.”

“I say, Madeline, can’t I come to the house?  I hate doing it like this.”

“No, you can’t.  If you want to see me you’ll have to do it this way.  It’s lots nicer here than in the house, anyway.”

Ted acquiesced, since he had no choice, and rose, announcing that it was time to go now.

“We don’t have to go yet.  I told Grandpa I was going to spend the evening with my friend, Linda Bates.  He won’t know.  We can stay as long as we like.”

“I am afraid we can’t,” said Ted decidedly.  “Come on, my lady.”  He held out both hands and Madeline let him draw her to her feet, though she was pouting a little at his gainsaying of her wishes.

“You may kiss me now,” she said suddenly, lifting her face to his.