great deal, doesn’t it?” asked Holly, ironically. “Please, why do you always remind me of it? Are you afraid that I’ll lose my heart to you and that you’ll have to refuse me?” “Well, you have seen me for a week,” answered Winthrop, modestly, “and know my irresistible charm.” [161] [161] Holly was silent a moment, her brown eyes fixed speculatively on the man’s smiling face. Then—— “You must feel awfully safe,” she said, with conviction, “to talk the way you do. And I reckon I know why.” “And may I know, too?” “No; that is, you do know already, and I’m not going to tell you. Oh, what time is it, please?” Winthrop drew out his watch and then, with a shrug, dropped it back into his pocket. “I can’t tell you. The fact is, I forgot to wind it last night. Why should I wind it, anyhow? What does it matter what time it is in this place? If the sun is there, I know it’s morning; if it’s somewhere overhead, I know it’s noon; when it drops behind the trees, I know it’s evening; when it disappears, I know it’s night—and I go to sleep. Watches and clocks are anachronisms here. Like arctics and fur overcoats.” “I shall go and find out,” said Holly, rising. [162] [162] “Why waste time and effort in the pursuit of unprofitable knowledge?” sighed Winthrop. But he received no answer, for his companion was already making her way through the garden. Winthrop laid his head back against the tree and, with half-closed eyes, smiled lazily and contentedly up into the brown-and-green leafage above. And as he did so a thought came to him, a most ridiculous, inappropriate thought, a veritable serpent-in-Eden thought; he wondered what “A. S. common” was selling for! He drove the thought away angrily. What nonsense! If he wasn’t careful he’d find himself trying to remember the amount of his balance in bank! Odd what absurd turns the mind was capable of! Well, the only way to keep his mind away from idle speculation was to turn his thoughts toward serious and profitable subjects. So he wondered why the magnolia leaves were covered with green satin on top and tan velvet beneath. But before he
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