'It will be right in a moment.' 'I--can I help you ?' said Paula.

But she did not come near him; indeed, she withdrew a little.

She looked up the passage, and down the passage, and became conscious that it was long and gloomy, and that nobody was near.

A curious coy uneasiness seemed to take possession of her.

Whether she thought, for the first time, that she had made a mistake--that to wander about the castle alone with him was compromising, or whether it was the mere shy instinct of maidenhood, nobody knows; but she said suddenly, 'I will get something for you, and return in a few minutes.' 'Pray don't--it has quite passed!' he said, stepping out again.
But Paula had vanished.