If he held her hand another moment, she trembled, she'd be on his lap,

in his arms--lost. And he was holding it. He was---Oh, he was too old for her. Yes, and too paternal. But still---- Life

with Jeff would be protected, kindly, honorable.

Yet all the time she wanted, and stormily knew she wanted, to be fleeing

to the boy Milt, her mate; to run away with him, hand in hand,

discovering all the colored world, laughing at life, not afraid of

losing dignity. In fear of Jeff's very kindliness and honor, she jerked

her hand free. Then she tried to smile like a clever fencer.

As she retreated to her chair she stammered, "Did you---- Was Alaska

interesting?"

He did not let her go, this time. Easy, cat-like for all his dry

gravity, he sauntered after her, and with a fine high seriousness

pleaded his case: "Claire dear, those few weeks of fighting nature were a revelation to

me. I'm going to have lots more of it. As it happens, they need me

there. There's plenty of copper, but there's big transportation and

employment problems that I seem better able to solve than the other

chaps--though of course I'm an absolute muff when it comes to

engineering problems. But I've had certain training and--I'm going to

arrange things so that I get up there at least once a year. Next summer

I'll make a much longer trip--see the mountains--oh, glorious

mountains--and funny half-Russian towns, and have some fishing----

Wandering. The really big thing. Even finer than your superb plucky trip

through----"

"Wasn't plucky! I'm a cry baby," she said, like a bad, contradictory

little girl.

He didn't argue it. He smiled and said "Tut!" and placidly catalogued

her with, "You're the pluckiest girl I've ever seen, and it's all the

more amazing because you're not a motion-picture Tomboy, but essentially

exquisite----"

"I'm a grub."

"Very well, then. You're a grub. So am I. And I like it. And when I make

the big Alaskan trip next year I want you to go along! Claire! Haven't

you any idea how terribly close to me the thought of you has been these

weeks? You've guided me through the wilderness----"

"It's---- I'm glad." She sprang up, beseeching, "Jeff dear, you're going

to stay for tea? I must run up and powder my nose."

"Not until you say you're glad to see me. Child dear, we've been ambling

along and---- No. You aren't a child any more. You're a woman. And if

I've never been quite a man, but just a dusty office-machine, that's

gone now. I've got the wind of the wilderness in my lungs. Man and

woman! My woman! That's all I'm going to say now, but---- Oh my God,

Claire, I do need you so!"

He drew her head to his shoulder, and for an instant she rested there.

But as she looked up, she saw coming age in the granulated skin of his

throat.




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