THE ORDEAL 

 It's the other way. I'm going to ask 

 Miss Clay to be my wife." 



"Good heavens!" This came 

 with so sharp a change of tone 

 from Calvert that Austin almost 

 jumped round in his chair to look 

 at him. 



" What is it, old chap ? Do you 

 know anything against it ? " cried 

 Austin. 



" No — at least, not exactly— except 

 that — well, I had intended to do the 

 same thing myself." 



"You I" 



" Yes, but it never struck me that 

 you were meaning anything that way. 

 I never thought " 



Then both relapsed into silence 

 for a moment, till Austin summed up 

 the situation with the remark : 

 96 



