She stood looking down at him, on her lips that same
quizzical smile. Gaga could not bear it. He rose quickly, and at her
flight followed breathlessly. She was again lightly imprisoned, her head
to his breast, and his arms giving small convulsive pressures as he
sought to retain her. She could tell his physical weakness, and his
feeble, excited desire for her, and she felt his face pressed to her
hair. Again Gaga kissed Sally, but she continued to withhold her lips,
so that he approached no nearer than her cheek.

"You ... you _must_ know I love you," breathed Gaga.

"Do I?" asked Sally, coolly. "I don't. Why should I?"

"Can't you tell?" He was speaking directly into her ear, so that she
felt his breath. "I love you ... like this!" He held her with all his
strength, and gave her cheek a fevered, gnawing kiss. "D'you see, Sally?
I love you."

"How's your headache?" asked Sally.

"I ... oh, Sally. Better ... better. But Sally! I love you. Don't you
love me a little? Sally!" There was a long silence. Consideringly, Sally
looked down, faintly excited, but unemotional. He vainly sought to
achieve a mutual kiss; but she kept her head turned away. Strange! Her
brain was perfectly clear! She was aware of every contact with him, knew
his every wish; and was unmoved. How different it was from when she was
with Toby! Gaga's voice resumed: "I think you ... love me a little,
Sally, my dear, my angel."

"Angel! Good lord!" ejaculated Sally. She put her hands to his breast,
forcing him a little away. "D'you think I'm an angel?"

"Yes!" came defiantly from Gaga.

"You're mad!" cried Sally, with contempt. "You don't know what you're
talking about. And even if you _are_ in love with me, as you say, what
does it mean? You'd soon get tired of me. You'd begin to think I
_wasn't_ an angel. What's the good of it all?"

Gaga looked astounded.

"But if _you_ love _me_," he stammered.

Sally's face was darkened. She had tears in her eyes, and her mouth was
thin and hard. There was altogether a hardness in her expression that
terrified Gaga.

"Even if I did," she said in a grim voice.

"But we could be married," he urged.

Married! Sally's heart gave a jump. Her cheeks were suffused. Married!
She could hardly conceal her amazement. He had flown right past her
expectation by that single word. Sally was aghast, forced to exercise
all her self-control to prevent him from seeing how staggered she was.

"Married!" she said, depreca