hat when he spoke
he should speak worthily, made him put off the moment of speaking till
he had found the exact words and even the place that best suited him.
The Strand was too busy. There was too much risk, also, of finding an
empty cab. Without a word of explanation he turned to the left, down one
of the side streets leading to the river. On no account must they part
until something of the very greatest importance had happened. He knew
perfectly well what he wished to say, and had arranged not only the
substance, but the order in which he was to say it. Now, however, that
he was alone with her, not only did he find the difficulty of speaking
almost insurmountable, but he was aware that he was angry with her for
thus disturbing him, and casting, as it was so easy for a person of her
advantages to do, these phantoms and pitfalls across his path. He was
determined that he would question her as severely as he would question
himself; and make them both, once and for all, either justify her
dominance or renounce it. But the longer they walked thus alone, the
more he was disturbed by the sense of her actual presence. Her skirt
blew; the feathers in her hat waved; sometimes he saw her a step or two
ahead of him, or had to wait for her to catch him up.

The silence was prolonged, and at length drew her attention to him.
First she was annoyed that there was no cab to free her from his
company; then she recalled vaguely something that Mary had said to make
her think ill of him; she could not remember what, but the recollection,
combined with his masterful ways--why did he walk so fast down this side
street?--made her more and more conscious of a person of marked, though
disagreeable, force by her side. She stopped and, looking round her
for a cab, sighted one in the distance. He was thus precipitated into
speech.

"Should you mind if we walked a little farther?" he asked. "There's
something I want to say to you."

"Very well," she replied, guessing that his request had something to do
with Mary Datchet.

"It's quieter by the river," he said, and instantly he crossed over. "I
want to ask you merely this," he began. But he paused so long that she
could see his head against the sky; the slope of his thin cheek and
his large, strong nose were clearly marked against it. While he paused,
words that were quite different from those he intended to use presented
themselves.

"I've made you my standard ever since I saw you. I've dre