CHAPTER XXIII.
Mr.Rattray's proposal occurred as soon after the close of the season as he was able to find time to devote the amount of attention to it which he felt it required.

He put it off deliberately till then, fearing that it might entail a degree of mental agitation on his part that would have an undesirable reflex action upon the paper.
Mr.Rattray had never been really attracted toward matrimony before, although he had taken, in a discussion in the columns of the _Age_ upon the careworn query, "Is Marriage a Failure ?" a vigorous negative side under various pen-names which argued not only inclination, but experience.

He felt, therefore, that he could not possibly predicate anything of himself under the circumstances, and that it would be distinctly the part of wisdom to wait until there was less going on.

Mr.Rattray had an indefinite idea that in case of a rejection he might find it necessary to go out of town for some weeks to pull himself together again--it was the traditional course--and if such an exigency occurred before July the office would go to pieces under the pressure of events.

So he waited, becoming every day more enthusiastically aware of the great advantage of having Miss Bell permanently connected with the paper under supervision which would be even more highly authorized than an editor's, and growing at the same time more thoroughly impressed with the unusual character of her personal charm.