"We must keep it dark for the present," he urged, holding her close as if
he feared she would slip away. "Maybe, when I am well, and have a good
position, and all, they won't take it so hard."
Eleanor refused to listen to any such counsel. She wanted to announce
their engagement at once, and be married at the earliest possible date.
He needed her to take care of him, she declared; and besides, they could
make a start on the money that would soon be due her from her father's
estate. To this proposition Quin would not listen, and they had a
spirited quarrel and reached no agreement.
Eleanor had fallen seriously in love for the first time in her life, and
it was a sudden and overwhelming experience. During those anxious days of
Quin's illness, when his life had hung in the balance, she had time to
realize what he meant to her. Now that he needed skilful nursing and
constant care to assure his recovery, she was determined not to be
separated from him.
In spite of his protests, she joyfully announced their engagement to
Uncle Ranny and the aunties at dinner, and was surprised to find that the
family tree, instead of being rocked to its foundation, was merely
pleasantly stirred in its branches.
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