e with London mud. These
things she noticed in the minutes that followed, though she kept her
eyes upon his face.

The face itself was beyond her power of analysis. Line for line it was
Laurie's features, mouth, eyes and hair; yet its signification was not
Laurie's. One that was akin looked at her from out of those windows of
the soul--scrutinized her cautiously, questioningly, and suspiciously.
It was the face of an enemy who waits. And she sat and looked at it.

A full minute must have passed before she spoke. The face had dropped
its eyes after the first long look, as if in a kind of relaxation, and
remained motionless, staring at the fire in a sort of dejection. Yet
beneath, she perceived plainly, there was the same alert hostility;
and when she spoke the eyes rose again with a quick furtive
attentiveness. The semi-intelligent beast was soothed, but not yet
reassured.

"Laurie?" she said.

The lips moved a little in answer; then again the face glanced down
sideways at the fire; the hands dangled almost helplessly between the
knees.

There was an appearance of weakness about the attitude that astonished
and encouraged her; it appeared as if matters were not yet
consummated. Yet she had a sense of nausea at the sight....

"Laurie?" she said again suddenly.

Again the lips moved as if speaking rapidly, and the eyes looked up at
her quick and suspicious.

"Well?" said the mouth; and still the hands dangled.

"Laurie," she said steadily, bending all her will at the words,
"you're very unwell. Do you understand that?"

Again the noiseless gabbling of the lips, and again a little
commonplace sentence, "I'm all right."

His voice was unnatural--a little hoarse, and quite toneless. It was
as a voice from behind a mask.

"No," said Maggie carefully, "you're not all right. Listen, Laurie. I
tell you you're all wrong; and I've come to help you as well as I can.
Will you do your best? I'm speaking to _you_, Laurie ... to _you_."

Every time he answered, the lips flickered first as in rapid
conversation--as of a man seen talking through a window; but this time
he stammered a little over his vowels.

"I--I--I'm all right."

Maggie leaned forward, her hands clasped tightly, and her eyes fixed
steadily on that baffling face.

"Laurie; it's you I'm speaking to--_you_.... Can you hear me? Do _you_
understand?"

Again the eyes rose quick and suspicious; and her hands knit yet more
closely together as she fought