s a
faint smile on his lips but his face, she noticed with perturbation,
had gone very pale. His eyes were shining and chill, like water under
grey skies.

"Please," he said, holding out his hand.

Desire let her glance go past him. "The door!" she murmured. He turned
to close it. It gave her only a moment. But a moment was all she needed.

"Surely we are making a fuss over nothing." With difficulty she kept a
too obvious relief out of her voice. He must not find her opposition
weakened.

"Perhaps. But--let me decide, Desire."

"Shan't!" said Desire, like a naughty child.

Fire leapt from the chill grey of his eyes.

"Very well, then--"

He took it so quickly that Desire gasped. Then she laughed. She had
never had anything taken from her by force since her childhood and it
was an astonishing experience. Also, she had not dreamed that Benis was
so strong. It hadn't been at all difficult. And this in spite of the
fact that she had clung to the substituted photo-graph with convincing
stubbornness.

"Well--now you've got it, I hope you like it," she said a little
breathlessly. Her eyes were sparkling. She did not know what photo she
had picked up when she dropped the real one. 'Probably it was a picture
of Aunt Caroline herself or of some dear and departed Spence. Benis
would have some difficulty in tracing the cause of the tears he had
surprised. Fortunately he could always see a joke on himself. It would
be funny ...

But it did not seem to be funny. Benis was not laughing. He had gone
quite grey.

"What is it, Benis?" in a startled tone. "You see it was just a
mistake? I was crying because--because I was sorry you were not going
on with the book. I just happened to have a photograph--" The look in
his eyes stopped her.

"Please don't," he said.

She took the card he held out to her, glanced at it, and choked back a
spasm of hysterical laughter. For it wasn't a picture of Aunt Caroline,
or even of a departed Spence--it was a picture of Dr. John Rogers!

"Gracious!" said Desire. There seemed to be nothing else to say.
"Well," she ventured after a perplexed pause, "you can see that I
couldn't be crying over John, can't you?"

"I can see--no need why you should;" said Benis slowly. "I'm afraid I
have been very blind."

The girl's complete bewilderment at this was plain to anyone of
unbiased judgment. But Spence's judgment was not at present unbiased.
He went on painfully.

"I owe you an apology for m