Alice gave a sobbing cry. Her face was scarlet.
Horror, shame, and relief struggled for mastery in her countenance.
``Oh, but I didn't know, I didn't know,'' she moaned, twisting her hands nervously. ``And now, when you've been so brave, so true--for me to accuse you of-- Oh, can you _ever_ forgive me? But you see, knowing that you _did_ care for her, it did look--'' She choked into silence, and turned away her head.
He glanced at her tenderly, mournfully.
``Yes,'' he said, after a minute, in a low voice.
``I can see how it did look; and so I'm going to tell you now something I had meant never to tell you. There really couldn't have been anything in that, you see, for I found out long ago that it was gone--whatever love there had been for--Billy.''
``But your--tiger skin!''
``Oh, yes, I thought it was alive,'' smiled Arkwright, sadly, ``when I asked you to help me fight it. But one day, very suddenly, I discovered that it was nothing but a dead skin of dreams and memories. But I made another discovery, too. I found that just beyond lay another one, and that was very much alive.''
``Another one?'' Alice turned to him in wonder. ``But you never asked me to help you fight --that one!''
He shook his head.
``No; I couldn't, you see. You couldn't have helped me. You'd only have hindered me.''
``Hindered you?''
``Yes. You see, it was my love for--you, that I was fighting--then.''
Alice gave a low cry and flushed vividly; but Arkwright hurried on, his eyes turned away.
``Oh, I understand. I know. I'm not asking for--anything. I heard some time ago of your engagement to Calderwell. I've tried many times to say the proper, expected pretty speeches, but--I couldn't. I will now, though. I do.
You have all my tenderest best wishes for your happiness--dear. If long ago I hadn't been such a blind fool as not to know my own heart--''
``But--but there's some mistake,'' interposed Alice, palpitatingly, with hanging head.
``I--I'm not engaged to Mr. Calderwell.''
Arkwright turned and sent a keen glance into her face.
``You're--not?''
``No.''
``But I heard that Calderwell--'' He stopped helplessly.
``You heard that Mr. Calderwell was engaged, very likely. But--it so happens he isn't engaged--to me,'' murmured Alice, faintly.
``But, long ago you said--'' Arkwright paused, his eyes still keenly searching her face.
``Never mind what I said--long ago,'' laughed Alice, trying unsuccessfully to meet his gaze.
``One says lots of things, at times, you know.''
Into Arkwright's eyes came a new light, a light that plainly needed but a breath to fan it into quick fire.
``Alice,'' he said softly, ``do you mean that maybe now--I needn't try to fight--that other tiger skin?''
There was no answer.
Arkwright reached out a pleading hand.
``Alice, dear, I've loved you so long,'' he begged unsteadily. ``Don't you think that sometime, if I was very, very patient, you could just _begin_--to care a little for me?''
Still there was no answer. Then, slowly, Alice shook her head. Her face was turned quite away --which was a pity, for if Arkwright could have seen the sudden tender mischief in her eyes, his own would not have become so somber.
``Not even a little bit?''
``I couldn't ever--begin,'' answered a half-smothered voice.
``Alice!'' cried the man, heart-brokenly.
Alice turned now, and for a fleeting instant let him see her eyes, glowing with the love so long kept in relentless exile.
``I couldn't, because, you see-I began--
long ago,'' she whispered.
``Alice!'' It was the same single word, but spoken with a world of difference, for into it now was crowded all the glory and the wonder of a great love. ``Alice!'' breathed the man again;and this time the word was, oh, so tenderly whispered into the little pink and white ear of the girl in his arms.
``I got delayed,'' began Billy, in the doorway.
``Oh-h!'' she broke off, beating a hushed, but precipitate, retreat.
Fully thirty minutes later, Billy came to the door again. This time her approach was heralded by a snatch of song.
``I hope you'll excuse my being gone so long,''
she smiled, as she entered the room where her two guests sat decorously face to face at the chess-table.
``Well, you know you said you'd be gone ten minutes,'' Arkwright reminded her, politely.
``Yes, I know I did.'' And Billy, to her credit, did not even smile at the man who did not know ten minutes from fifty.
