tly cold in this room."

"Really!" she murmured.

He came back and sat down in the gilded chair. It was now so dusky in the
room that he couldn't see her very plainly.

So he folded his arms and abandoned himself to gloomy patience until the
room became very dark. Then he got up, struck a match, and lighted the
gas.

"By Jupiter!" he muttered, "I'm hungry."

For nearly five minutes she let the remark go apparently unnoticed. But
the complaint he had made is the one general and comprehensive appeal
that no woman ever born can altogether ignore. In the depths of her
something always responds, however faintly. And in the soul of this young
girl it was answering now--the subtle, occult response of woman to the
eternal and endless need of man--hunger of one kind or another.

"I'm sorry," she said, so sincerely that the sweetness in her voice
startled him.

"Why--why, do you know I believe you really are!" he said in grateful
surprise.

"I am a great many things that you have no idea I am," she said, smiling.

"What is one of them?"

"I'm afraid I'm a--a fool."

She came forward and stood looking at him.

"I've been thinking," she said, "that I can do you no kinder service than
to destroy those papers and let you go home."

For a moment he thought she was joking, then something in her expression
changed his opinion and he took a step forward, eyes fixed on her face.

"Yes," he said, "it would be the kindest thing you can do for me. Shall I
tell you why? It's because I'm hopelessly near-sighted. I wear glasses
when I'm alone in my study, where nobody can see me."

"What in the world has _that_ to do with my leaving you?" she asked,
colouring up.

"Suffragettes would never marry a near-sighted man, would they?"

"They ought not to."

"_You_ wouldn't, would you?"

"Why do you ask--such a thing?"

"I want to know."

"But how does your myopia concern _me_?" she said faintly.

"_Couldn't_ it--ever?" he asked, reddening.

"No," she said, turning pale.

"Then we'd better not stay here; and I'm going to be as generous as you
are," he said, advancing toward her. "I'm going to let you go home."

She backed away, thrusting the papers behind her; his arm slipped around
her, after them, strove to grasp them, to hold and restrain her, but
there was a strength in her tall, firm young body which matched his own;
she resisted, turned, twisted, confronted him with high colour, and lips
compressed, and they came