me awkward, she began to
speak of impersonal things; of the strange transformation of the night,
lately so oppressive and obscure, now so dazzlingly serene; of the
carrying power of sound in the stillness about--a dog's barking, the
distant notes of the bell in the tower of the First Church striking the
hour of eleven. As they passed the Hall, she saw that the windows of
Leigh's room were again dark, and imagined that he had taken advantage
of the clearing atmosphere to ascend to the top of the tower and resume
his observations. Emmet, following the direction of her eyes upward,
divined her thought.

"The professor is probably looking at the moon through his telescope,"
he remarked.

"Yes," she answered, in a tone as casual as his own, "he would
doubtless not lose this opportunity of examining the cracks that have
appeared recently on its surface, if he can see them with that lens,
which is n't likely. They are said to be hundreds, or even thousands,
of miles long, and only a few yards in width."

Her knowledge of such a recent astronomical discovery confirmed his
suspicion that she and Leigh saw much of each other. Knowing the man's
infatuation with her by his own confession, he now became convinced
that she returned it; that she had used his fault in regard to Lena
Harpster to justify its counterpart in herself. Correct in his main
surmise, he was nevertheless mistaken concerning the source of her
information, a short press despatch from the Lick Observatory which he
had overlooked in the morning paper.

He was in no mood to renew the struggle with her on the basis of these
suspicions, but laid them away in his heart for future consideration.
About to reply indifferently, his words were checked by a sudden fit of
coughing. The long exposure in the penetrating fog and the subsequent
increase in the cold were producing their effect, and as they descended
the hill, his cough became more frequent and severe.

She was concerned for him, much as she would have been concerned for
any one under similar circumstances. Some hereditary instinct, a
tradition of professional humanity, moved her to expressions of
sympathy and advice; and when they arrived before her house, she
insisted that he come in and get something warm to drink before
exposing himself further to the cold night air. He followed her
obediently through the dimly lighted hall into the dining-room,
wondering at her apparent indifference to the possibi