You only remained real--" His face altered subtly.

"And when I touched you----" "I gave you a waltz, I believe," she said, striving to speak naturally; but her pulses had begun to stir again; the same inexplicable sense of exhilaration and insecurity was creeping over her.
With a movement partly nervous she turned toward the door, but there sounded no rustle of her sister's skirts from the stairs, and her reluctant eyes slowly reverted to him, then fell in silence, out of which she presently strove to extract them both with some casual commonplace.
He said in a low voice, almost to himself: "I want you to think well of me." She gathered all her composure, steadied her senses to choose a reply, and made a blunder: "Do you really care what I think ?" she asked lightly, and bit her lip too late.
"Do you believe I care about anything else in the world--now ?" She went on bravely, blindly: "And do _you_ expect me to believe in--in such an exaggerated and romantic expression to a staid and matter-of-fact widow whom you never saw more than once in your life ?" "You _do_ believe it." Confused, scarcely knowing what she was saying, she still attempted to make light of his words, holding her own against herself for the moment, making even some headway.

And all the while she was aware of mounting emotion--a swift inexplicable charm falling over them both.
He had become silent again, and she was saying she knew not what--fortifying her common-sense with gay inconsequences, when he looked up straight into her eyes.
"I have distressed you.

I should not have spoken as I did." "No, you should not----" "Have I offended you ?" "I--don't know." Matters were running too swiftly for her; she strove to remain cool, collected, but confusion was steadily threatening her, and neither resentment nor indifference appeared as allies.
"Mrs.Paige, can you account for--that night?
The moment I touched you----" She half rose, sank back into her seat, her startled eyes meeting his.
"I--don't know what you mean." "Yes--you know." Flushed, voices unsteady, they no longer recognised themselves.
"You have never seen me but once," she said.

"You cannot believe----" "I have not known a moment's peace since I first saw you." She caught her breath.