from top to bottom. She looked at it ruefully;
was about to make use of the incident to lessen the tension of the
moment when he came across to her. Standing in front of her, he looked
down at the broken glove, and her white skin laid bare by the rent
stitching.

"You'll let me get you a new pair," he said under his breath. In that
instant he wanted to give her the world. The proffer of the gloves
tried to express the sensation.

She looked up into his face with a very small smile--half refusal,
half gratitude. When her eyes met his, she realized that her senses
were swimming. She was standing on a giddy height, to throw herself
from which, became an almost imperative inclination. She felt that
she was losing her balance and in another moment would be pitching
forward into his arms. She wanted to tell him to kiss her, and words
of violent strength, which she had never dreamed of before, shouted
suggestions through her--even to her lips. He seemed to be waiting
for her to do all this, but made no move to accelerate it; then she
swung backwards--turned blindly to the table, laying down her gloves
and the little brown-paper parcel.

"You're going to take off your hat now," he said; "this room's too
hot for accessories."

She showed hesitation, was about to refuse, when he made it plain
to her that he would not have it otherwise.

"I've taken it off before, you know," he said with a smile. "I'm by
no means a novice at the art. You can't call me an amateur."

"When--?" she began; "oh, of course, I remember."

She did not consider her refusal now; she obeyed. He took the hat
from her and her feather boa. Then he insisted on the removal of the
little short-waisted coat. She demurred again, and again was
obedient. He laid them all down on the settle, then sat for a moment
and watched her while she poked her fingers into her hair and pulled
it lightly out where the hat had rested.

"Now you look as if you'd come to see me." he said.

"What did I look like before?"

"I don't know. As if you had been and were going away. But what _did_
you come for? What have you got to tell me? I assure you, when I opened
that door and found you standing there--"

"Yes, I'm sure you must have been surprised," she joined in.

"I was--considerably. What do you think of Dolly?"

"Your sister?"

"Yes."

"I know she doesn't like me," she answered evasively.

"What makes you think that? I don't think you're correct. She hasn't
go