the little sound of feeling she had given, pretended laughter.
"It will do you good after that enormous tea."

She said something about the tea being too enormous for exertion.

The car drew up. He got out and turned to her. "Look here. Please do."

He saw the colour fade away upon her face. "What for?"

"To talk." It was all he could say.

She put away the rug and gave him her hand. Warm, and she said, "How
dreadfully cold your hand is! Go on and get your tea, Jeffries. I'm
going to walk up."

The man touched his cap. The car slid away and left them.

IV

They were within the gates. It had been a dull day. Evening stood
mistily far up the long avenue of the drive and in the distances about
the park on either hand. Among October's massing leaves, a small
disquiet stirred. The leaves banked orderly between their parent trunks.
Sabre noticed as a curious thing how, when they stirred, they only
trembled in their massed formations, not broke their ranks, as if some
live thing ran beneath them.

He said, "Do you know what this seems to me? It seems as though it was
only yesterday, or this morning, that you came to see me at the office
and we talked. Well, I want it to be only yesterday. I want to go on
from there."

She said, "Yes."

He hardly could hear the word. He looked at her. She was as tall as he.
Not least of the contributions to her beauty in his eyes was the slim
grace of her stature. But her face was averted; and he wanted most
terribly to see her face. "Stand a minute and look at me, Nona." He
touched her arm. "I want to see your face."

She turned towards him and raised her eyes to his eyes. "Oh, what is it
you want to say, Marko?"

There was that which glistened upon her lower lids; and about her mouth
were trembling movements; and in her throat a pulse beating.

He said, "It's you I want to say something. I want you to explain some
things. Some things you said. Nona, when you came into my room that day
and shook hands you said, 'There!' when you gave me your hand. You took
off your glove and said, 'There!' I want to know why you said 'There!'
And you said, 'Well, I had to come.' And you said you were flotsam. And
that night--when we'd been up to you--you said, 'Oh, Marko, do write to
me.' I want you to explain what you meant."

She said, "Oh, how can you remember?"

He answered, "Because I remember, you must explain."

"Please let me sit down, Marko." She faltered a little laugh. "I can