"I don't care what happens to me!" he said. To look at him nobody would
have thought him young enough to say that sort of thing.

"I care," she said, releasing her hands and stepping back into her
studio.

For a moment her lovely, daring face swam before his eyes; then, in the
next moment, she was in his arms, crying her eyes out against his
shoulder, his lips pressed to her bright hair.

And that was all right in its way, too; madder things have happened in
our times; but nothing madder ever happened than a large, bald gentleman
who came up the stairs in a series of bounces and planted his legs apart
and tightened his pudgy grip upon his malacca walking stick, and
confronted them with distended eyes and waistband.

In vigorous but incoherent English he begged to know whether this scene
was part of an education in art.

"Papah," she said calmly, "you are just in time. Go into the studio and
I'll come in one moment."

Then giving her lover both hands and looking at him with all her soul in
her young eyes: "I love you; I'll marry you. And if there's trouble"--she
smiled upon her frantic father--"if there is trouble I will follow you
about the country exhibiting green mice----"

"What!" thundered her father.