THE visit of Hendrickson was an hour too late, Dexter had already been there, and pressed his suit to a formal issue.

The bold suitor had carried off the prize, while the timid one yet hesitated.

Jessie went back to her room, after her interview with Paul Hendrickson, in spiritual stature no longer a half developed girl, but a full woman grown.

The girl's strength would no longer have sustained her.

Only the woman's soul, strong in principle and strong to endure, could bear up now.