He said aloud: "I came across this on the other side and took the
liberty of bringing it to you."

Mary undid the parcel, disclosing a beautiful bit of jade; not too
costly a gift for a friend to accept, yet really a defiance of the
convention which forbids marriageable maidens to receive from their
male admirers presents less perishable than flowers or sweetmeats.

"It is lovely, and it was very kind of you to remember me."

"Remember you? You were in my thoughts day and night."

She smiled to dispel the tension. "I shall enjoy hearing about your
travels. A friend of yours has told me something of them."

"Ah! Miss Golightly. You have seen her, then, at your cousin's? A
companionable woman; and she knows her Europe. Yes, we compared notes
regarding our travels."

He colored slightly, but only at the remembrance of having confided to
this comparative stranger his bosom's secret under the spell of an
ocean intimacy.

"You brought home other things, I dare say?" Mary asked after a pause,
glancing up at him.

"Oh, yes!" The trend of the question was not clear to him, but he was
impelled to add: "For one thing, I ordered clothes enough to last me
three years at least. I bought gloves galore for myself and for my