"Come here, Pete," she said. "I want to show you my kitchen." The dwarf walked slowly backward to the door, his eyes on the young couple, as if he feared to let them out of his sight lest they vanish and he waken. "Come on, Charlotte."
The three disappeared, Miss Mehitable urging Pete by the shoulder.
"I'll try to find out," returned Ben; "and if it is possible to do that, the debt shall be paid."
Geraldine caught her lip under her teeth and swallowed the rising lump.
"Oh, Mr. Barry--Ben," she said at last, "of course I have no words to thank you--"
"Not in the least," returned Ben quietly. "I want to be thanked. I want each of us to thank the other all our lives. I to be grateful to you for existing, and you to thank me for spending my days with the paramount thought of your happiness."
They looked at each other for a long silent minute.
"Mrs. Whipp says your mother came to call on me to-day," said Geraldine at last. "She described her manner so well that it is evident she came at the point of your bayonet. I understand the situation entirely. I've already heard that she is the great lady of the town. You are her only son. Do you suppose I blame her when out of a clear sky you produced me and made your feeling plain to her? Is it any wonder that she made hers plain to me? I should think"--Geraldine gave an appealing pressure to the hands holding hers--"I should think you could be generous enough to--to let me alone."
"What am I doing?" asked Ben. "What do you suppose is the reason that I'm wasting all these minutes when I might be holding you in my arms!" He had to stop here himself and swallow manfully. "If you knew how you look at this moment--and I don't kiss you--just because I'm giving Mother a little time, so that you will be satisfied--"
"Then you'll promise--will you promise--you kept your promise about the farm?"
"Then you do keep promises! Tell me solemnly that you will leave your mother in freedom. If you don't, Ben--Sir Galahad--I'll run away. I really will--"
In her earnestness she lifted her face toward his, her eyes were irresistible, and in an instant he had swept her into his arms and was kissing her tenderly, fervently, to the utter undoing of the droopy hat which fell unnoticed to the floor.