I could read plainly enough in his eyes that he thought the assiduous
flatteries he had always paid me were commencing to have their result,
that I was beginning to recognize the dangerous fascination he was
reputed to have for women of every station. I had a swift, savage
desire to avenge the women he must have made suffer, to hurt him as
before dinner he had wounded Lillian.

So instead of turning an impassive face to Mr. Underwood's remark, I
listened with just the hint of an elusive mischievous smile twisting
my lips.

"No, you don't look very uncomfortable. You look"--he caught his
breath as if with some emotion too strong for utterance, and then said
a trifle huskily:

"Will you let me tell you how you look to me?"

I had to exercise all my self-control to keep from laughing in
his face. He was such a poseur, his simulation of emotion was
so melodramatic that I wondered if he really imagined I would be
impressed by it.

A spirit of mischievous daring stirred in me.

"Don't tell me just now," I said softly. "Wait till after dinner."

"Afraid?" he challenged.

"Perhaps," I countered.

He gave my hand lying upon his arm a swift, furtive pressure and
released it so quickly that there was no possibility of his being
observed. I had no time to rebuke him, had I been so disposed, for we
had almost reached our places at the table.

I do not remember much of the dinner over which Mother Graham, Katie
and I had worked so assiduously. That everything went off smoothly, as
we had planned, that from the Casaba melons which were served first to
the walnuts of the last course, everything was delicious in flavor and
perfect in service I was gratefully but dimly aware.

For I felt as if I were on the brink of a volcano. Not because of
Harry Underwood's elaborate show of attention to me to which I was
pretending to respond, much to the disgust of my mother-in-law, but on
account of the queer behavior of Robert Gordon.

Lillian, who was making a pitifully brave attempt to bring to the
occasion all the airy brightness with which she was wont to make any
gathering favored by her presence a success, secured only the briefest
responses from him, although he had taken her out to dinner. Sometimes
he made no answer at all to her remarks, evidently not hearing them.

He watched me almost constantly, and so noticeable was his action that
I saw every one at the table was aware of it. It was a gaze to set any
one's brain thro