He loved her, and she must know what was in his heart. She
could not do what she had just agreed to do unless she liked and trusted
him: and he would make the most of all the days to come. He would keep her
forever if he could.
Her sudden throwing over of her own plans, for his sake, seemed too good
to be true, especially after her strange conduct at Paso Robles; but like
a boy who dreams he has all the Christmas presents he ever coveted in
vain, and wakes to find them his, he reminded himself that it was
true--true--true!
Angela did not tell Nick the excuse she offered Mrs. Harland for giving up
her visit. It was enough for him that it was given up. He would have been
even more proud and pleased, however, if he had known how frankly she
confessed her real intentions.
To do that seemed to Angela the only way. To have fibbed a little, or even
to have prevaricated whitely, would have spoiled everything.
"I find, dear Mrs. Harland," she said in her letter, "that I can't tear
myself from San Francisco. If I go with you to Shasta and the McCloud
River, and come back in a week or a fortnight to do my sightseeing,
nothing will be the same. I believe you will understand how I feel. My
impressions will be broken. Besides, Mr.
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