Page:Keeping the Peace.pdf/185

 strengthening of bonds. His first instinct was to laugh—as normally as possible—and to be surprised and say, "What! Me? Me in love?" And laugh some more. But that seemed disloyal to Alice. So he said:

"We've always been pretty close, John. But we're just kids. I didn't know anybody took us seriously until I found that mother was hooking my letters to her and hers to me."

"It wouldn't make you unhappy to go to Paris for a few years and leave her?"

Edward considered this and then said: "No—not unhappy. We'd find out mighty quick just how we did feel about each other. And if we found that we did want to be married—why, I'd be learning how to take care of her, wouldn't I? . . . Say, John—Mr. Ruggles knows one of the editors of the Age and told him about me, and he says for me to bring him a lot of my drawings and paintings, all kinds, so's he can judge if I'm any good at all. I thought I'd sneak off after breakfast tomorrow and go see him. And I wish you'd give me the fare if you can spare it. I'd ask you to lend it to me if there was any chance of my paying it back."

"Gee, that's exciting!" said John. "You can have anything I've got. Let's go over all your