him what he had said, and, remembering the business he had in hand, he determined to plunge in medias res, and so, gathering all his forces together, he said with a voice that was not quite natural,—
"Of course you must have seen how much I am in love with you, Gladys, and I cannot stand the uncertainty any longer; will you marry me?"
Gladys thought, of all the proposals she had ever listened to,—they had been in number exactly twenty-five, an average of one a year for her whole life,—this one certainly was the most abrupt. But she had been prepared for it, and with a sense of thankfulness for the form in which the fatal question had been asked, she said quietly, her eyes fixed on the rumble of Mrs. Fallow-Deer's carriage in front of them,—
"Yes, I will."
For he had not asked her if she loved him, and she had been spared the lie, which her proud lips could hardly have spoken.
