could have taken her in his arms without moving; but some quality in her
pose discouraged the idea that she might desire comfort that way.

Carlisle's difficulties, indeed, were by no means over for the day. The
conviction which had come upon her with the first full view of her
lover's face--where Colonel Dalhousie seemed also to have set his
afflicting mark--had suddenly grown overwhelming. She had made her draft
for payment against an account where there were no more funds.

"Are you ill?"

"No," she answered, straightening at once.... "I ... I'm afraid--this is
my natural self."

"Something troubles you?" said Hugo, with penetration.

She nodded, and turned away.

She had always been capable of independent action; it was her chief
strength, however mamma might speak of flare-ups. But never in her
womanhood had she felt less in tune for heroics and a scene. Life was
shaking to pieces all around her.

"Hugo," she began, with difficulty, playing at arranging a slide of
books on the table with hands like two blocks of ice ... "I--I
hesitated about coming down at all, but now--I think ... As you are
going away to-night, and would be coming back to-morrow entirely on my
account ... I think I ought--"

"Why, my dear! What's all this about?... Do you mean you've let your
feelings be hurt by my going off? Why, you--"

"It isn't that."

The nature of his understanding seemed to stir something in her, and she
went on in a rather steadier voice:

"I've been thinking of something you said to me once--that I wasn't the
girl you had asked to marry you ... It's taken me a long time, but I've
learned that that was the truth. I'm not--"

She was checked, to her surprise, by a soft laugh.

"So that's been it!... I never imagined--no wonder!... Why, Cally! How
could you suppose I meant it? Don't you know I was angry that day?--off
my head? Would I--"

"But it's true! I'm not that girl at all--I feel differently--I--"

"Well! Let's not waste good time in mare's nests of _that_ sort. Why,
dear little girl, would I be here now, if I wasn't satisfied as no other
man on earth--"

"But I'm not satisfied, Hugo."

Cally turned now, faced him fully, a faint color coming into her cheek.
In the man's handsome eyes she had surprised an unmistakable
complacence.

"I'm not satisfied," she said, hurriedly, "to know that we are miles
apart, and drifting further every minute. Don't you see there's no
sympathy--no understanding-