said again; this time her voice was firm, the tone
peremptory; but she made no further struggle to free herself from his
arms.--"Oh, what are you doing!"

"I am making the attempt to find out if you love me as I love you--"

"You have no right to kiss me so--"

"I have the right because I love you--"

"But I don't love you."

"Yes you do, Aileen Armagh--don't say that again."

"I do not love you--let me go, I say."

He let her go at last. She stood before him, pale, but still undaunted.

"Do you know what you are saying?" he demanded almost fiercely under his
breath. He took her head between his hands and bent it back to close her
lips with another kiss.

"Yes, I know. I do not love you--don't touch me!" She held out her
hands to him, palm outwards, as if warding off some present danger.

He paid no heed to her warning, but caught her to him again. "Tell me
now you don't love me, Aileen," he whispered, laying his cheek to hers.

"I tell you I do not love you," she said aloud; her voice was clear and
firm.

He drew back then to look at her in amazement; turned away for a moment
as if half dazed; then, holding her to his side with his left arm he
laid his ear hard over her heart. What was it that paled the man's
flushed cheeks?

The girl's heart was beating slowly, calmly, even faintly. He caught her
wrist, pressing his fingers on her pulse--there was not the suspicion of
a flutter. He let her go then. She stood before him; her eyes were
raised fearlessly to his.

"I'm going to row back now--no, don't speak--not a word--"

She turned and walked slowly down to the boat; cast it off; poled it
with one oar out of the tall arrowhead and the thick fringe of
lily-pads; took her seat; fitted the oars to the rowlocks, dipped them,
and proceeded to row steadily down the reach towards The Bow.

Champney Googe stood where she had left him till he watched her out of
sight around the curve; then he went over to the willows and sat down.
It took time for him to recover from his debauch of feeling. He made
himself few thoughts at first; but as time passed and the shadows
lengthened on the reach, he came slowly to himself. The night fell; the
man still sat there, but the thoughts were now crowding fast,
uncomfortably fast. He dropped his head into his hands, so covering his
face in the dark for very shame that he had so outraged his manhood. He
knew now that she knew he had not intended to speak that "word" between
t