tween his own, but was
silent.

'At least, you don't lie to me,' she continued.

Jim did not plume himself on that; he knew in his heart that if he had
not lied it was because a thoroughly satisfactory fiction had not
presented itself. He kissed her knuckles, which, in itself was a lie of
inference. Aurora pulled her hand away, and robbed him of his one
resource. He felt abashed and defenceless without it. He thrust his hands
in his pockets, and turned his shoulders to her, gazing moodily on the
floor, having a dawning sense of the differences that may suddenly
afflict two hearts that have beat as one, realizing that the ardent
affection of yesterday and yesterday's kisses count for nothing in the
present estrangement. He could, not essay the role of friendship: it was
as if they were strangers without a single affinity.

'The fact is, Aurora,' he said desperately, 'I'm a good deal changed.
I've experienced a great shock lately, and it has pulled me up short.'

'And the woman?'

He turned upon her again with genuine surprise. 'The woman! The woman!'
he cried. 'It has nothing to do with a woman. Upon my soul, no! Something
has been revealed to me that has hit me hard. I don't get over it easily;
it clings in my mind. If I could tell you, old girl, you'd sympathize;
but I can't--the secret is not my own.' He spoke with emotion, and
Aurora, watching him sharply, was touched. She put a hand on his arm.

'Not another word, Jimmy,' she said. 'I won't bother you. Sure,' she
continued lightly, we weemin 're niver contint wid the throubles of the
day. We're that curious we must be wonderin' how much more's comin'. We
may boast iv bein' sensible an' sthrong, but we're alwiz pushin' our
tentacles out to feel the sorrow iv to-morrow. I reckoned you'd be hatin'
me in a week, ma bouchal.'

Done felt himself justified in kissing her there and then, but the kiss
partook a good deal of the nature of a benediction.

This explanation did not serve to restore confidence; the constraint
remained, and increased with time. Jim noted its effect on Aurora with
some misgiving. His appearance in the tent was the signal for a display
of boisterous animation on her part. If she had been depressed before,
she suddenly became gay; if she had been animated, she became jubilant.
She sang, and joked, and danced, and played, with an excess of jocosity
that jarred him painfully. He gave her credit for uncommon intelligence,
and undoubtedly she ha