I only know
that I love her--that, if any reliance is to be placed upon instinct, she
is the mate to whom Artemis is leading me.'
"It was clear that he was in love, and I therefore ceased to argue with
him. 'You kept up your acquaintanceship with her, then, after you'--I
was going to say 'after you ceased to be Smith,' but not wishing to
agitate him by more mention of that person than I could help, I
substituted, 'after you returned to the Albany?'
"'Not exactly,' he replied; 'I lost sight of her after I left Yarmouth,
and I did not see her again until five days ago, when I came across her
in an aerated bread shop. I had gone in to get a glass of milk and a
bun, and _she_ brought them to me. I recognised her in a moment.' His
face lighted up with quite a human smile. 'I take tea there every
afternoon now,' he added, glancing towards the clock, 'at four.'
"'There's not much need to ask _her_ views on the subject,' I said,
laughing; 'her feelings towards you were pretty evident.'
"'Well, that is the curious part of it,' he replied, with a return to his
former embarrassment; 'she does not seem to care for me now at all.
Indeed, she positively refuses me. She says--to put it in the dear
child's own racy language--that she wouldn't take me on at any price.
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