r,
because empires and marriages and business contracts have been upset,
if not lost, on account of its freaky humour; and it twisted the
corners of the man's mouth into a distinct smile as he involuntarily
thought of the drizzling November afternoon when Damaris, in brogues,
tweed skirt and mackintosh, had announced her intention of going out to
join in some demonstration which had to do with the upholding of the
rights of her fellow-sisters, and had only been dissuaded therefrom by
the opportune arrival of tea and muffins.

Little Damaris! Just one of those women who creep right into the
hearts of men on account of their gentleness and apparent helplessness;
who are born to be put into a glass cupboard before which those who
love them spread themselves like door-mats; who rule with a rod pickled
in their apparent helplessness, which is stronger than a whip of steel,
and who are quite closely related to the barnacle and mollusc to which
the tide regularly brings tit-bits out of the ocean, whilst the more
mercurial eel has to go out and thresh about in the mud for what it
requires to keep it going in its fight for life.

Anyway, the eel has the advantage of getting about a bit!

Then the smiled faded, and he knelt, because he could not stand the
sound of that little sob any longer, and he put out his hand and
stroked her hair.

"Damaris, darling, it's I--Ben!"

She stiffened under the shock of the words, and flung her hands over
her head.

The terrible hour had come!

She would have, out of very decency, to tell him everything: why she
lay where he had so miraculously found her; how she had promised
herself to his friend; how she had . . .

She clutched her bonny curls in both hands and pressed herself hard to
the ground, longing that it should open and swallow her up. She could
not get up, she could not turn round to meet the eyes of the man she
loved with all the strength of the love of which she was capable; she
could not watch the love in his eyes change to a look of disgust; she
simply could not do it.

And then she felt his hands on hers, and his fingers unfastening hers
one by one from her grasp upon her curls; and she lay quite still; with
a lovely warm feeling creeping over and through her, because she knew
by the gentleness of the touch and the firmness of it that she would be
gathered up safely into his arms, and carried away to happiness.

And, just as she had thought he would, he put his arms