before; but she checked herself, and there was no want of effect
in her soothing substitute. "How can you? How can you?" He had, too
manifestly, only to look at it there, in the vulgarly animated gloom, to
see that he couldn't; and at this point, by the mere action of his
silence, everything they had so definitely not named, the whole presence
round which they had been circling, became part of their reference,
settled in solidly between them. It was as if then for a minute they sat
and saw it all in each other's eyes, saw so much that there was no need
of a pretext for sounding it at last. "Your danger, your danger--!" Her
voice indeed trembled with it, and she could only for the moment again
leave it so.

During this moment he leaned back on the bench, meeting her in silence
and with a face that grew more strange. It grew so strange that after a
further instant she got straight up. She stood there as if their talk
were now over, and he just sat and watched her. It was as if now--owing
to the third person they had brought in--they must be more careful; so
that the most he could finally say was: "That's where it is!"

"That's where it is!" the girl as guardedly replied. He sat still, and
she added: "I won't give you up. Good-bye."

"Good-bye?"--he appealed, but without moving.

"I don't quite see my way, but I won't give you up," she repeated.
"There. Good-bye."

It brought him with a jerk to his feet, tossing away his cigarette. His
poor face was flushed. "See here--see here!"

"No, I won't; but I must leave you now," she went on as if not hearing
him.

"See here--see here!" He tried, from the bench, to take her hand again.

But that definitely settled it for her: this would, after all, be as bad
as his asking her to supper. "You mustn't come with me--no, no!"

He sank back, quite blank, as if she had pushed him. "I mayn't see you
home?"

"No, no; let me go." He looked almost as if she had struck him, but she
didn't care; and the manner in which she spoke--it was literally as if
she were angry--had the force of a command. "Stay where you are!"

"See here--see here!" he nevertheless pleaded.

"I won't give you up!" she cried once more--this time quite with passion;
on which she got away from him as fast as she could and left him staring
after her.

CHAPTER XVIII

Mr. Mudge had lately been so occupied with their famous "plans" that he
had neglected for a while the question of h