It afforded him another view of the picture that had appeared to him in the doorway, and he could study it without being observed in the act, though he was confident that the girl knew his eyes were on her.

He refilled his tiny cup with tea and smiled when he noticed that she could easily have seated herself behind one of the screens.

From the flush in her cheeks his eyes traveled critically to the rich glow of the light in her shining brown hair, which swept half over her ears in thick, soft waves, caught in a heavy coil low on her neck.

Then, for the first time, he noticed her dress.

It puzzled him.