eathed. "You--you startled me," she added as if in
explanation.

They were standing close together. The light wind blew her long veil
against his cheek. From it there came that faint fragrance of citron. He
was glad that it was so dark here on the terrace. He said, with an
effort:

"Luigi told me that you would be back shortly, so I waited."

"I ... I am glad," she said. Her heart was beating fast. It was because
he had startled her, she told herself. She had thought him in Rome. Now
he was suddenly here--close to her. She could think of nothing to say.
She felt awkward--shy.

"Won't you ... won't you stop to dinner?" she asked lamely, but her
voice sounded lukewarm. She was a little frightened again, because she
wanted him to stay so much. The Anglo-Saxon in her put this chill note
in her voice just because she so much wanted it.

"Thanks--no," he said. "It is very kind of you, but Baldi is waiting
dinner for me."

She said again, murmuring the words, slurring them together:

"I'm sorry."

"But I will stay a few moments if you will let me," said Amaldi,
hesitating a little.

"Yes--do," she answered, somewhat recovering herself. "I will just send
Luigi down for my parcels, and come back--it is cooler here." She did
not want to go into the lighted house with him just then. She still felt
that queer shyness.

"Let me call him," said Amaldi.

When he came back, she was sitting on one of the little stone seats
near the railing of the terrace. He longed to see her face more clearly,
yet he, too, did not want to go into the light just then.

"It was very hot in Rome," he said conventionally. "I'm glad to be back
again."

"Yes," said Sophy. "It is nice to have you back."

She felt the flatness of this "nice."

"We ... missed you," she added quickly.

"Thank you," said Amaldi. His voice shook a little.

"I ... I thought perhaps you mightn't come till I had gone."

He was silent a second, then he said in a queer voice:

"Could you really have thought that?"

"Well ... I ... I was afraid you might be kept," she stumbled. There had
been a hurt in his voice.

"Nothing could have kept me from saying good-by to you," he said
quietly.

Her head turned towards him, quick and startled.

"Oh! Are you going away again?" she said--then caught her lip between
her teeth in the soft gloom.

"No," said Amaldi very low.

Sophy felt the strange tension of this halting talk. She rose suddenly.

"Perhaps we had