d.

"You look, on the whole, as if you'd fallen into your clothes."

The wounded man stirred and groaned faintly.

She called: "Lie down, Butch; I'm busy. Go on, Bard."

"If you keep a mirror it's a wall decoration--not for personal use."

"Maybe this is an old method, Bard; but around this place it'd be a
quick way of gettin' shot."

"Angry?"

"You'd peeve a mule."

"This was only an introduction. The next thing is to sit close beside
you and shift the lamp so that the light would shine on your face; then
take your hand--"

He suited his action to his word.

"Let go my hand, Bard. It's like the rest of me--not a decoration but
for use."

"Afraid of me, Sally?"

"Not of a regiment like you."

"Then of my method?"

"Go on; I'm game."

"But this is all there is to it."

"What d'you mean?"

"Just what I say. Having observed that you haven't set off any of your
advantages, I will sit here and look into your face in silence, which is
as much as to say that no matter how you dress you can't spoil a very
excellent figure, Sally. I suppose you've heard that before?"

"Lots of times," she muttered.

"But you wouldn't hear it from me. All I would do would be to sit and
stare and let you imagine what I'm thinking. And you'd begin to see that
in spite of the way you do your hair you can't spoil its colour nor its
texture."

He raised his other hand and touched it.

"Like silk, Sally."

He studied her closely, noting the flush which began to touch her
cheeks.

"Part of the game is for you to keep looking me in the eye."

"Well, I'll be--Go on, I'm game."

"Is it hard to sit like this--silently? Do I do it badly?"

"No, you show lots of practice. How many have you tried this method on,
Bard?"

He made a vague gesture and then, smiling: "Millions, Sally, and they
all liked it."

"So do I."

And they laughed together, and grew serious at the same instant.

"All silence--like this?" she queried.

"No; after a while I would say: 'You are beautiful.'"

"You don't get a blue ribbon for that, Bard."

"Not for the words, but the way they're said, which shows I mean them."

She blinked as though to clear her eyes and then met his stare again.

"You know you are beautiful, Sally."

"With a pug nose--freckles--and all that?"

"Just a tip-tilt in the nose, Sally. Why, it's charming. And you have
everything else--young, strong, graceful, clear."

"What d'you mean by that?"

"Clear? Fresh and