"Nellie!" he cried. Then he would have caught her in his arms, but she held him back.
"Wait, Tom. I understand, and I am very, very glad," she said, earnestly. "But mamma—she is a little bit old-fashioned, you know. She made both of us—Grace and I—promise not to—to become engaged until we were twenty or twenty-one."
"Oh!"
"So we'll have to wait a little longer."
"I see. But we understand each other, don't we, Nellie?"
"Yes, I'm sure we do."
"And when yon are old enough"
"Well talk it over again," she answered, and took his arm as if to walk back to the others.
"All right," he said. Then of a sudden he turned and faced her. "And is that all?" he pleaded.
"Oh, Tom, it ought to be!" she murmured.
"But, Nellie!" he pleaded, and drew her a little closer. Then for just an instant her head went down on his shoulder and she allowed him to kiss her. Then they joined the others, both feeling as if they were walking on air.
An hour later found everybody either in the house or on the veranda. Dora sat down to the piano and the other young folks gathered around
