ell enough where THAT lands us."

Mr. Longdon now got to his feet and somewhat stiffly remained; after
which, for all answer, "You say you WILL come then?" he asked. Then
as--seemingly with her last thought--she kept silent: "You understand
clearly, I take it, that this time it's never again to leave me--or to
BE left."

"I understand," she presently replied. "Never again. That," she
continued, "is why I asked you for these days."

"Well then, since you've taken them--"

"Ah but have YOU?" said Nanda. They were close to each other now, and
with a tenderness of warning that was helped by their almost equal
stature she laid her hand on his shoulder. "What I did more than
anything else write to him for," she had now regained her clearness
enough to explain, "was that--with whatever idea you had--you should see
for yourself how he could come and go."

"And what good was that to do me? HADN'T I seen for myself?"

"Well--you've seen once more. Here he was. I didn't care what he
thought. Here I brought him. And his reasons remain."

She kept her eyes on her companion's face, but his own now and
afterwards seemed to wander far. "What do I care for his reasons so long
as they're not mine?"

She thought an instant, still holding him gently and as if for
successful argument. "But perhaps you don't altogether understand them."

"And why the devil, altogether, SHOULD I?"

"Ah because you distinctly want to," said Nanda ever so kindly. "You've
admitted as much when we've talked--"

"Oh but when HAVE we talked?" he sharply interrupted.

This time he had challenged her so straight that it was her own look
that strayed. "When?"

"When."

She hesitated. "When HAVEN'T we?"

"Well, YOU may have: if that's what you call talking--never saying a
word. But I haven't. I've only to do at any rate, in the way of reasons,
with my own."

"And yours too then remain? Because, you know," the girl pursued, "I AM
like that."

"Like what?"

"Like what he thinks." Then so gravely that it was almost a
supplication, "Don't tell me," she added, "that you don't KNOW what he
thinks. You do know."

Their eyes, on that strange ground, could meet at last, and the effect
of it was presently for Mr. Longdon. "I do know."

"Well?"

"Well!" He raised his hands and took her face, which he drew so close to
his own that, as she gently let him, he could kiss her with solemnity
on the forehead. "Come!" he then very firmly said--quite indeed as